Hot Topics: After hamster cull, Hongkongers question amendment ordering pet owners give up their animals

The amendment came into effect on March 31. It alarmed some animal rights activists after it was revealed on April 6 in a written response from Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee to a question asked by lawmaker Cheung Kwok-kwan.

Cheung raised questions about authorities’ lack of power to demand owners surrender their pets during an outbreak of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. Authorities believe the Delta outbreak originated with hamsters, and it prompted the government to cull more than 2,000 animals.

The Facebook group that worked to save the hamsters

Officials asked residents to surrender any hamsters imported in the same batches as the ones from a pet shop in Causeway Bay that were infected with the virus. But animal rights activists questioned the cull. Outside the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) collection centre, they intercepted some owners and took possession of their hamsters.

In her reply to Cheung, Chan wrote that health officers had the authority to order control measures be carried out on animals believed to carry infectious diseases.

“Obstructing, or assisting to obstruct a health officer … is a criminal offence and offenders are liable to a fine of HK$5,000 and two months’ imprisonment,” she said.

However, Chan later admitted on a radio programme that the AFCD should more clearly explain the amendment to the existing law that gives health officers the power to demand pet owners hand over their animals.

Two days later, a spokesperson for the department issued a statement on April 18, clarifying that the chance of invoking this law would “not be high”.

The department said that apart from certain species, such as minks and hamsters, there was no evidence yet to show that other animals infected with Covid-19 could transmit the virus to humans. This means people are unlikely to catch the virus from other types of pets.

However, if there is sufficient evidence showing that animals such as cats and dogs are spreading the virus to humans, then the Department of Health and AFCD will consider exercising such powers to stop the spread.

Staff writers, Hong Kong government press releases

Question prompts

• List TWO concerns pet owners might have about surrendering their animals for “disease-control purposes”.

• Why might certain species, such as minks and hamsters, be subjected to the amendment in Context, while others are not?

• Which group of people mentioned in Context might the message on the television come from, and what is its purpose?

• Suggest ONE improvement that could be made to the television message that would better encourage pet owners not to abandon their animals.

How to decode your hamster’s behaviour

Hong Kong’s health minister has brushed aside fears over a toughened law that jails pet owners who refuse to surrender their animals for disease-control purposes.

When asked on a radio programme on April 16 about concerns that authorities would order pet owners who test positive for Covid-19 to surrender their pets, Secretary for Food and Health Sophia Chan Siu-chee said the amendment aimed to control disease, should evidence exist that animal-to-human transmission had taken place.

“You don’t have to worry too much, because even if they have Covid-19, the AFCD takes good care of pets like cats and dogs,” Chan answered.

Respiratory expert Dr Leung Chi-chiu noted that most types of pets presented a low risk of spreading Covid-19.

“But this amendment is necessary to prepare for future outbreaks caused by other animals. If we do not have a legal framework to deal with these animals, we may not be able to stop the spread of Covid-19 fast enough,” he said.

But Linda Tse Hiu-mui, founder of the Hong Kong Saving Cat and Dog Association, was concerned that the AFCD’s new powers would lead pet owners to abandon their animals instead of surrendering them.

“Owners may not be willing to forcibly give up their pets,” she said. “It may also lead to tragedies as more animals may be abandoned on the streets and consequently be killed in traffic accidents.”

The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) stressed that the risk of pet-to-human Covid-19 transmission in general was negligible, saying that the animals were more likely to be infected by their owners and did not play a role in transmitting the virus.

The SPCA said pet owners should find someone able to take care of their pets in case they became infected with coronavirus or needed to go to a quarantine centre, as they would not be able to take their pet with them.

Separately, an AFCD spokesman said the department’s New Territories South Animals Management Centre had been designated as a quarantine facility for pets related to Covid-19 cases, while the animal-keeping facility at the Hong Kong Port of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge was devoted to the quarantine and veterinary monitoring of animals that tested positive for coronavirus.

Staff writer

• Using News and Context, explain in your own words why authorities determined there was a need for the new amendment to the Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance.

• News mentions TWO ways the government can handle animals that are close contacts of confirmed Covid-19 human patients. Which of the two is a better solution, and why?

More than 100 hamsters were abandoned by Hong Kong pet owners after the government announced a cull in January as a precaution against animal-to-human transmission of the coronavirus.

Emphasising the importance of surrendering hamsters bought on or after December 22, a spokeswoman from the AFCD said, “The onset of symptoms may not be triggered immediately after the hamsters are infected, and current negative test results do not necessarily mean the hamsters concerned have not been infected.”

“In other words, touching or keeping these hamsters can cause infection and also risk spreading the virus.”

Although the cull order only applied to hamsters imported to Hong Kong since December 22, animal welfare groups said residents were also tossing out older pets unaffected by the ruling.

Animal welfare groups confirm people abandoned their hamsters during the cull

Hamster concern group HamuClan said that since the announcement of the culling order, it had taken in more than 50 hamsters, mostly handed over by owners, although some had been brought in from the streets.

Noel Louie, who runs the group, said the hamsters were all healthy and most were bought before December 22. She suspected some owners had taken advantage of the government action to abandon older pets, adding, “No one told us their hamsters were bought after December 22, and those we received were relatively older.”

“Owners should not just leave them on the street where there are cats, dogs, eagles or other predators. They should allow them a chance to live,” said volunteer Pamper Le. Le said she and six other volunteers had been caring for more than 40 hamsters handed over by their owners or picked up off the streets.

“They were mostly abandoned in garbage stations and parks, sometimes in private residential estates. Most were in cages without food and water, while others were in paper boxes,” she said.

Le added that the owners of six hamsters promised to take back their pets once health concerns over the animals had calmed down.

Staff writer

• In your opinion, was it necessary to cull the hamsters imported in the same batches as the ones infected with the virus? What else could the government have done to address the issue of animal-to-human transmission of the coronavirus? Explain.

• Some have argued that animal rights activists, such as Pamper Le and Noel Louie, should be exempted from the revised Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance. To what extent do you agree with them, and why?

Why you should still wear your mask on planes

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD): the branch of the Hong Kong government responsible for animals, nature and the environment in the city. It is also in charge of enforcing regulations pertaining to animal welfare and import requirements, as well as the prevention and control of diseases spread through animals.

Animal rights activist: a person who campaigns for animals to be treated equally to humans and who aims to reduce their suffering

Culling order: refers to the killing of 2,000 hamsters that was carried out earlier this year. Authorities appealed to pet shops and owners on January 18 to hand over hamsters imported since December 22 for humane dispatch. They temporarily suspended the import of the small animals after finding evidence of the first possible animal-to-human transmission of Covid-19 at a Causeway Bay pet shop. The AFCD made the decision after 11 samples taken from hamsters at the store came back positive.

Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance: a law that governs the control and prevention of disease among the human population in Hong Kong. According to the revised Prevention and Control of Disease Ordinance, a health officer may seize any article, including animals, believed to be infectious or that contains an infectious agent. Anyone who refuses to comply may be arrested and subject to a maximum HK$10,000 fine and six months’ imprisonment.