HK police seize 126 kittens and puppies smuggled into city from China.
Hong Kong Police on an anti-smuggling operation have confiscated more than 120 kittens and puppies illegally shipped into Hong Kong by speedboat from mainland China.
The 84 kittens and 42 puppies were found inside 46 crates on the speedboat, which a smuggler abandoned when chased, in the city’s northwestern Ha Pak Lai coastal area in Lau Fau Shan at about 11.30pm on Sunday, police said. The pet smuggler, who was in the speedboat alone, ran ashore and managed to escape.
Acting chief inspector Wong Shun-wai, an assistant Marine West divisional commander commented: -
“The pets were found crammed into the 46 crates and some of them had shown signs of dehydration.”
He said all of the animals had been handed over to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.
Senior Inspector Chan Ling of the marine police regional crime unit said the investigation suggested some of the animals were intended for sale to local pet shops. He said he believed a smuggling syndicate was behind the illegal delivery of the animals from the mainland, adding that an investigation was under way.
A force insider said all of the kittens and puppies were expensive breeds and only a few months old, with each animal able to fetch thousands of dollars at least in Hong Kong.
A high-speed sea pursuit began when the speedboat with a man on board was seen in Deep Bay after entering Hong Kong waters from the mainland at about 11.30pm on Sunday.
Wong said the man refused to stop and accelerated after a police pursuit craft was deployed to intercept it. After a brief chase, the smuggler berthed the boat at the coastal area in Ha Pak Lai, abandoned it and ran ashore to escape.
It was the third smuggling case involving kittens and puppies being shipped into Hong Kong from the mainland this year.
In May, 136 pedigree kittens and puppies were confiscated aboard a speedboat off Black Point in Tuen Mun, making it the city’s largest seizure of pets in an anti-smuggling operation.
The 101 kittens and 35 puppies, all expensive breeds, were found inside 17 plastic crates on the speedboat late on May 28, following a high-speed chase with police in northwestern waters.
During the joint operation mounted by police and customs, a 30-year-old man alone on the 10-metre-long (33-foot) boat was arrested aboard the vessel.
In January, 30 kittens and seven puppies were confiscated along with HK$4.1 million (US$522,283) worth of contraband containing frozen bull penis and deer tails – goods used for medicinal purposes – at the Ha Pak Lai coastal area.
HKALPO comments
There continues to be an inordinate demand for pedigree pets here in Hong Kong, which unfortunately catalyses unscrupulous individuals and syndicates into committing offending such as the present one. At no stage during this process will the welfare of the animals be at the forefront of those involved. It is always about commerce.
If expensive pure bred pets are able to be smuggled into Hong Kong without paying the required import fees, those who then go on to sell the animals at a premium retain a bigger slice of the pie. But at what cost?
Those living in Hong Kong will have seen the embarrassingly poor conditions that animals in pet stores continue to be displayed in. Small glass boxes with minimal space and a complete lack of any proper stimuli will only further impact their welfare. Incredibly - this is the visage at is presented to the public. One only wonders what the reality is behind those large metal doors at the back of the pet stores…
It really comes to a matter of supply and demand. If we eliminate the desire for pure bred manicured pets and focus our attention to adopting the thousands of animals that continue to look for forever homes in Hong Kong, then the hope is that we will no longer read about these incidents in the near future.
Main Source: SCMP
