Step up patrols to ward off Hong Kong poachers
- Greater monitoring needed after poaching traps found in city countryside, posing a cruel threat to animals and people
- Stiffer fines could work but only if poachers think they will be caught
Hong Kong’s countryside is a joy for hikers but also provides a home for a wide range of wild animals, including protected species. The use of traps by poachers poses a threat to wildlife and, according to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), is on the increase.
The SPCA found 31 traps last year, up from 24 in 2022 and 20 in 2021. This is likely to be the tip of the iceberg.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department says it seized 750 hunting appliances over the past five years, including 137 in 2023.
Poachers are targeting foxes, porcupines and wild boars, but traps are a danger to animals generally and people are occasionally hurt by them. The devices are widely available online and easy to carry around.
They can inflict terrible pain and suffering on the creatures that get caught. Sometimes animals die or need to have a limb amputated, and the victims are often stray dogs.
There is a need to step up efforts to combat this cruel practice. Hunting without a permit is illegal and carries a maximum HK$50,000 (US$6,390) fine.
If done in country parks, up to three months in jail can be imposed. A year in prison is the most serious penalty for targeting protected species.
But poachers, who leave their traps in isolated locations and then disappear, are not easy to catch. There were only eight cases in 2021 and five convictions in 2022.
The heaviest punishment was a HK$2,400 fine, way below the maximum.
The department pledged, in response to a lawmaker’s questions in 2021, to “review and adjust” its law enforcement strategy, and it should do so again. It has promised to strengthen intelligence, explore the use of technology, launch surprise inspections and step up publicity and education.
Hong Kong must get tough on poachers. Its biodiversity matters globally
Regular patrols are conducted by the department’s inspectors and, where traps are found, notices are posted warning the public that hunting is illegal. Consideration should be given to increasing the penalties to provide a greater deterrent.
But this will only work if poachers believe it is likely they will be caught. Patrols should be stepped up.
The countryside is home to the city’s wildlife and animals must be protected from the menace of these illegal traps.
