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.
A giant African pouched rat who spent years detecting land mines in Cambodia's countryside has come to the end of his working days. Magawa, originally from Tanzania, has been the most successful rodent to be trained and overseen by a Belgian nonprofit, APOPO, to sniff out landmines and alert de-miners so they can safely remove explosives. Magawa was said to have helped clear mines from 225,000 square meters (2,421,879 square feet) of land.
Courtesy of Michelle Cheung.
Read MoreThe ‘Big 5’ is an old term used by trophy hunters in Africa for the five most prized and dangerous animals to shoot and kill: elephant, rhino, leopard, Cape buffalo and lion. However, a new photography project has turned the meaning of shooting on its head - creating a new list of the five most sought after creatures to capture on camera.
More than 50,000 people from around the world voted for animals they most liked seeing pictures of as part of the New Big 5 wildlife photography list. The crowning creatures are elephant, lion, polar bear, gorilla and tiger, all of which are keystone species listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as either critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable.
Courtesy of Kt Dallison
Read MoreThe UK Court of Appeal has dismissed an appeal by manufacturers of electronic dog collars in respect of the Government’s proposal to ban the use of these devices in England.
It was argued that the decision was irrational because it originated from an unreasoned change of position on the evidence in respect of the welfare implications of the devices and that there was inconsistency of treatment with other devices, and that the proposed ban was a disproportionate interference with the manufacturers’ property rights as protected under Article 1 of the First Protocol to the ECHR.
Courtesy of HKALPO
Read MoreRecently, 160 cats and dogs were found by animal protection activists inside a courier company’s truck in Chengdu, as part a trend that sees people ordering a box containing a live animal, sent to them via post. This is despite a ban by the Mainland authorities on the transportation of live animals.
According to social media, it has become increasingly popular for animals to be delivered by these “blind boxes”. All of the 160 animals found were extremely young, at only 1 to 3 months old.
Courtesy of Michelle Cheung
Read MoreA statement from Environment and Climate Change Canada says Kiu Yick Trading Company has been ordered to pay $60,000 for importing 434 kilograms of shark fins. It says the ruling was issued in provincial court after the company pleaded guilty to unlawfully importing an at-risk or threatened species in 2018, as part of a large shipment of dried shark fins from Hong Kong.
Courtesy of HKALPO
Read MoreOn 28 April 2021, the amendment of the Animal Protection Act passed its third reading by the Taiwan Legislative Yuan, making a gigantic leap towards the target of a comprehensive protective statute for animals in Taiwan, and well ahead of any comparative animal welfare law in nearby Asian countries.
It is hoped Hong Kong will follow closely in Taiwan’s footsteps and continue working towards more protective laws for all animals.
Courtesy of Marco Poon.
Read MoreOn 23 April 2021, the Hong Kong police arrested a 25-year-old student and cat owner for allegedly making an online threat by claiming to have left poisonous substances to dogs over various parts of the city. Police suspected that the man had made the alleged threats after reading about a six-week-old kitten being bitten to death by a shiba inu at the Hong Kong Pet Show 2021.
Courtesy of Nicole Liang.
Read MoreThe UK Government has promised "the highest standards of animal welfare" in the UK as part of the Queen's Speech. Outlining its plans for the upcoming Parliament, the pledges ranged from improving standards in zoos to mandatory microchipping for cats. The measures will be covered by three bills introduced over the next year and have been well received by animal welfare organisations, both in the UK and worldwide.
Courtesy of HKALPO
Read MoreOn 4 May 2021, the New York Court of Appeal agreed to hear the habeas corpus case for Happy, an elephant who has lived her life for over four decades at the Bronx Zoo.
This is the first time in history that the highest Court of any English speaking jurisdiction will hear a habeas corpus application brought on behalf of someone other than a human being.
Courtesy of HKALPO
Read MoreAuckland Council has partially backed down on a proposed ban on several types of exotic parrots that ruffled the feathers of professional New Zealand bird breeders. It had proposed banning the trade of a range of parrots by 2022, including the sulphur crested cockatoo, eastern rosella, galah, and monk and rainbow parakeets - classifying them as pests.
Read MoreDespite the high level of protection, the trade in turtle and tortoise continues to flourish in India . A 2019 report by TRAFFIC, an international wildlife trade monitoring organisation, found that a minimum of 100,000 tortoises and freshwater turtles were illegally traded between September 2009 and September 2019 in India.
Courtesy of Louis Cheung.
Read MoreThe Hong Kong government has proposed banning people convicted of animal cruelty from keeping pets – maybe even for life – as it plans to amend the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, Cap 169 in the next Legco term.
Courtesy of Felix Tsang.
Read MoreAfrican elephants have always been considered the same species, but in reality they had split from each other into two distinct species over 5 - 6 million years ago, around the time when humans separated from chimpanzees. The savanna elephant is larger, has curving tusks, and roams the open plains of sub-Saharan Africa. The smaller, darker forest elephant, with straight tusks, lives in the equatorial forests of Central and West Africa.
Now, for the first time, scientists have separately evaluated how the two are faring—and the findings are grim.
Courtesy of Kelly Ma
Read MoreStalls at a livestock market in southern China were shut down for selling hundreds of cats and dogs after a dedicated pet owner traced a missing cat to the market using GPS technology. The authorities raided the market having received reports that stolen pets were being sold, and seized a total of 235 cats.
A draft “white list” of animals allowed to be raised for meat to be consumed included pigs, cattle, goats, donkeys, rabbits, chickens, ducks, geese, pigeons, and quail. Dogs and cats were excluded. But with no unified national ban in place, the practice of eating dog and cat meat continues.
Courtesy of Amelia Wang.
Read MoreThe Court of Justice of the European Union (“CJEU”) has recently ruled the practice of bird hunting using glue traps to be illegal due to the harm the method causes to songbirds. Many EU countries have banned this practice, but France is one of the countries that still allows it.
Courtesy of Michelle Cheung.
Read MoreAlmost 80% of sharks caught on drum lines in the Great Barrier Reef marine park last year died despite the Queensland government being told to try harder to eliminate deaths under its shark control program.
Analysis by the Humane Society International showed that of the 178 sharks hooked on drum lines off the marine park’s popular beaches between February and December last year, 137 sharks had died.
Courtesy of Marco Poon
Read More'Ineffective' koala policy would exempt 80% of land, NSW planning minister warned. A senior New South Wales government minister last year warned rules intended to protect koalas in the state would be “ineffective” if rural areas were excluded as it would mean about 80% of land was exempt.
Courtesy of Kelly Ma.
Read MoreA licensed animal trader in Tai Po, was found to be unlawfully possessing 33 parrots, 20 Appendix I endangered species and another 13 species protected under Appendix II of the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, Cap 586.
Courtesy of Felix Tsang
Read MoreHong Kong Police have launched an investigation into the death of four dogs believed to have been poisoned at a temple in northern Hong Kong on Wednesday (10 March 2021). The prevalence of poisoning cases has become an increasing concern, and despite investigations, no arrests have been made in any of the cases.
Dr. David Gething from Creature Comforts Pet Community and HKALPO have put together a Fact Sheet for dog poisoning. Please feel free to share this with other animal lovers and always remain alert for suspicious food left in public areas.
Read MoreAccording to researchers, the global population of sharks and rays has dropped for more than 70% in the past 50 years, pushing the two species towards extinction. The main reason for the decrease in global population can be attributed to the sudden booming fishing industry which began in the early 1970’s and continues today.
Currently, half of the world’s 31 oceanic shark species and the giant manta ray are listed as either endangered or critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Courtesy of Marco Poon
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