We hope to raise awareness in relation to local and international animal law and welfare by presenting the latest news stories and articles from around the world. Sign up to our newsletter to keep informed about the latest news.
Learn more about Pet-Nups, a niche and evolving trend in animal welfare, which acts similarly to a pre-nuptial agreement. These have been recently introduced in the UK in an attempt to lessen the heartache of a divorce proceeding and, to more pertinently, ensure a pet’s welfare post-divorce.
Courtesy of Daphne Ng.
Read MoreHong Kong is at the epicentre of the global trade in shark fin, contributing to a more than 40% of the world’s shark fin imports annually. The unsustainable demand for shark fin soup remains a primary driver for the overfishing of sharks and rays on a global sale. Between 2014 - 2019, Hong Kong Customs made 59 shark fin seizures totalling 12,238kg, with 28 cases in 2019. Only 5 cases were prosecuted in that period.
However, no wildlife traffickers have ever been prosecuted in Hong Kong for money laundering related offences and no syndicates indicted for wildlife smuggling, although the city is a wildlife trading hub. The government has continued to fail to recognise wildlife crimes as specified offences under the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance (Cap 455). Doing so would would provide greater investigatory powers in order to combat Hong Kong’s increasingly serious wildlife trafficking problem.
Courtesy of Christopher Jay.
Read MoreAdopt, Don’t Shop. It’s a phrase that we’ve heard all too often. But despite this animal welfare truism, there is still an insatiable demand for dogs from breeders or puppy mills, rather than choosing to rescuing one from an animal shelters.
Our latest blog looks into the licensing and codes of practice in Hong Kong relating to both animal traders and dog breeders as well as the squalid conditions many pet store animals find themselves living in. We also consider the difference between adopting a dog from a pet shelter and buying one from a pet store.
Courtesy of Daphne Ng.
Read MorePet owners provide constant love, care and affection to their animals. But does this positive welfare have to stop after the death of the owner? Unfortunately, with an ever growing reluctance from family members to take on such a responsibility, there has been an increase in pets being discarded and abandoned on the streets.
However, and as the author of this article has considered, will the formation of a statutory pet trust in Hong Kong be able to solve this worrisome issue? Learn about the legal, practical and conceptual difficulties that face the initiation of a statutory pet trust in Hong Kong, as well as the local and international legal precedents that would support its establishment.
Courtesy of Jeremy H.Y. Lam
Learn more about the nature of dog-human relationships among homeless people, and understand what animals mean for homeless people and how they care for their four-legged friends.
Courtesy of Amelia Wang.
The Cost of Wildlife Series has featured some of the more popular and problematic wildlife entertainment ventures in and around Asia. We hope that this series will have revealed the truth behind some of these venues, and the cruelty some animals are forced to endure in the name of entertainment. We consider what should be done to prevent the further abuse of animals and challenge all tourists to become part of the solution to end exploitative animal establishments. We hope that with knowledge and awareness comes a responsibility to ensure that only ethical wildlife attractions are endorsed and supported in the future.
Read MoreIn Part 5 of our series into The Cost of Wildlife Tourism, we scrutinise the growing trend of dolphin tourism and dolphinariums in Asia, and learn about how these intelligent mammals are captured, trained, and exploited. We learn that in captivity, dolphins develop a range of mental and physical illnesses which unfortunately lead to a much shorter life-span than those living in the wild. Finally, we consider whether one of Hong Kong’s most prized tourist attraction, Ocean Park, may be partly responsible for fuelling the lucrative trade of supply and sale of cetaceans.
Courtesy of Jaime Lam
Read MoreIn Part 4 of our series into The Cost of Wildlife Tourism, we learn about how tourist demand for a personal encounter with the Asian Elephant, world’s largest land-based mammal, has led to permanent physical deformities and severe injuries of these animals. We also expose the different forms of corporal punishment or “phajaan” each elephant has to suffer through in order to be sufficiently tamed for wildlife tourism.
Read MoreIn Part 3 of our series into The Cost of Wildlife Tourism, we explore how the tourist demand for the world’s most expensive coffee, kopi luwak has led to an increase in the capture and abuse of the Asian Palm Civet. We also reveal the impoverished life these animals have to endure so that civet coffee plantations are able to attract big spending consumers.
Read MoreIn Part 1 of our series into The Cost of Wildlife Tourism, we look into the sad truth behind Tiger entertainment venues, which have been cast into the viral spotlight by the recent release of "Tiger King" on Netflix. We discover the pain and suffering endured by these animals for the sake of a tourist souvenir, and learn more about the steps social media platforms are taking to helping reduce their exploitation.
Read MoreFind out more about pangolins, the world’s most trafficked animal, their possible link with COVID-19 and the role that Hong Kong plays in tackling illegal wildlife crime.
Read MoreUnderstand more about rabbits, and why these animals should never be given as a gift this Easter.
Read MoreDecision issued by the Bronx Supreme Court on the habeas corpus proceedings brought by the Non-human Rights Project on behalf of Happy the elephant.
Courtesy of The Animal Law Brief
On 5 February 2020, the UK government announced in a press release their support for the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill, a bill which proposes to increase the maximum term of imprisonment for specified offences under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA) 2006.
Courtesy of The Animal Law Brief
Read MoreWe look behind the selfie, into the lives of three of the most popular wildlife tourist attractions in Asia, the elepahnt, tiger and Asian palm civet, to examine the real cost that these animals pay for the benefit of the perfect tourist souvineer.
Read MoreThe New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries publishes a discussion paper on a review of livestock export rules.
Courtesy of The Animal Law Brief
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![[Series] The Cost of Wildlife Tourism - Dolphins](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0d8726a9c62214e80fa023/1593401229180-GRD9GSCHX1W3U91RY536/shutterstock_1047832165.jpg)
![[Series] The Cost of Wildlife Tourism - Asian Elephants](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0d8726a9c62214e80fa023/1592984167164-AKC6UBTZW6VXRZO3B0PB/shutterstock_761903983.jpg)
![[Series] The Cost of Wildlife Tourism - Asian Palm Civets](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0d8726a9c62214e80fa023/1592378192151-7XP1AAC2NK4GF7R5B094/shutterstock_1124176472.jpg)
![[Series] The Cost of Wildlife Tourism - Tigers](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5e0d8726a9c62214e80fa023/1591337867463-2WVKD68WFL2VMTMQELQB/shutterstock_538882378+%281%29+copy.jpg)
