Hong Kong environmental groups have criticised a Government decision to remove protections for the vulnerable finless porpoises, by allowing underwater cable installation for the controversial HK$31 billion waste incinerator, near their main marine habitat during their most active season.

The nearby waters of south Lantau Island are important for the Indo-Pacific porpoise, which has been given the “vulnerable” status on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species.

Courtesy of Kat Mak.

The Faculty of Law, the University of Hong Kong and the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Hong Kong) have published a new study on animal cruelty cases in Hong Kong.

The retrospective study looked at 335 suspected cruelty offences recorded by the SPCA HK between January 2013 and December 2019. Cases were categorised into six major types of abuse: active maltreatment, passive neglect, commercial exploitation, hoarding, poisoning and trapping.

New strategies were recommended to address cruelty to animals in Hong Kong, including the introduction of a duty of care, a new offence to deter animal poisoning, improved controls on traps used for animals, a new offence of cruelty by falling from height, bans on unnecessary mutilations and mercy release and the licensing of all shelters, grooming parlours and dog trainers.

Courtesy of HKALPO

Sixteen impounded dogs (including one mother dog with her 10 puppies) waiting to be rescued in New South Wales were reportedly put down by the local council to enforce COVID-19 travel restrictions. According to NSW Health, there were no recent locally acquired COVID-19 cases in Cobar at the time of the incident.

Courtesy of Kelly Ma.

Photographer Tony Austin was at the tail-end of a 3-hour nature walk recently when a murder of crows landed nearby. When one of the crows started “acting strangely,” Austin began photographing it. When Austin reviewed the photos on his large computer monitor at home, he was surprised to discover that the crow had ants crawling all over its body — it had been taking an ant bath.

Anting is a maintenance tactic birds use in which they intentionally invite ants or other insects onto their feathers and skin. Oftentimes the bird will lie down in a location covered with the insects and do certain poses while the bugs are swarming its body. This is called passive anting, and this is what Austin observed and photographed.

Courtesy of Amelia Wang

Quarantine officers in Taiwan made the shocking decision Saturday 21 August to euthanise 154 stray cats that were being smuggled into Taiwan on a fishing vessel from China, sparking national controversy on International Homeless Animals’ Day.

Government officials claimed that the cats had to be euthanised due to biosecurity concerns, as the origin of the cats was unknown. This prompted outcry among animal rights groups and animal lovers in Taiwan, criticising the government for not considering other options, such as treating the cats or placing them in quarantine.

Courtesy of Ruby Tam.

Ministers in the UK have opened the door to expanding the use of animal testing to ingredients used in cosmetic products for the first time in 23 years. Cruelty Free International (CFI) said animal testing on ingredients exclusively used in cosmetics – which was banned in the UK in 1998 – could be required, after being told by the Home Office that the government had “reconsidered its policy.”

In a letter, the government said it was aligning itself with a decision made last year by the appeals board of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), which said that some ingredients used only in cosmetics needed to be tested on animals to ensure they were safe.

Courtesy of HKALPO

A 19-year-old design school student who called himself a fortune teller specialising in performing witchcraft, was arrested in Hong Kong for allegedly slaughtering animals such as rabbits, mice and frogs as “sacrificial offerings” in rituals. He appeared at the West Kowloon Magistrate’s Court on charges of animal cruelty and was remanded in custody.

Courtesy of Ruby Tam

An anti-smuggling operation by the Hong Kong police, and Customs and Excise officers resulted in the seizure of 28 puppies and kittens, the discovery of an alleged smuggler’s body, and the arrest of a second alleged smuggler. The man in the speedboat was arrested for, inter alia, animal cruelty. The animals were transferred to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.

Courtesy of Audrey O’Young.

Animal rights protestors were joined by alpacas on their march on Downing Street on 9 August 2021, in an attempt to save fellow alpaca Geronimo from being put down. The eight year old mammal has tested positive twice for bovine tuberculosis (“bTB”), leading the UK Government to demand he be euthanised.

However, his owner, Helen Macdonald, believes the tests have returned false positives and is urging the Department of Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (“DEFRA”) to have him checked for a third time, having failed in her High Court action challenging the refusal to allow the animal to be re-tested again.

Young marine turtles are swallowing large quantities of plastic, with ocean pollution changing habitats that were once ideal for their development into a risk, researchers have found.

The impact of plastic on wildlife is a growing area of research, and studies have revealed harrowing cases of marine animals sustaining injuries or dying after ingesting such material or becoming entangled in it.

Courtesy of Kat Mak