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Cruelty to animals to be a bigger crime
People could be imprisoned for a year and fined up to HK$100,000 for torturing, beating or even kicking animals if the Legislative Council (LegCo) passes the amended bill against cruelty to animals.
The Prevention of Cruelty to Animal (Amendment) Bill, apart from increasing the present six-month sentence and HK$5,000 fine, focuses on a broader definition of cruelty to animals.
Necessitated by reports of some horrific acts against animals and calls for a new legislation, the amendment bill will be introduced in LegCo on July 5. "A heavier penalty is necessary because of the recent cases of cruelty to animals," a Health, Welfare and Food Bureau spokesman said yesterday.
The proposed penalties will be in line with those imposed in other developed economies such as Australia and the United States, he said. Also, they will be able to reflect the seriousness of cruelty to animals.
Animal Welfare Advisory Group Chairman Anthony James said it was time for the government to broaden the definition of cruelty to animals because the existing one was badly out of date, making many people escape punishment.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department dealt with 224 animal abuse cases in 2004 and the figure dropped by 39 last year, but only 29 cases led to prosecution and just 16 offenders were convicted.
Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) spokeswoman Rebecca Ngan Yee-ling welcomed the amendment bill, saying it was a big step forward towards safeguarding animals. The government should also take other steps to prevent cruelty to animals, she said.
Five lawmakers, however, are disappointed with the amended bill and have urged the government to raise the maximum fine to more than HK$100,000 and increase the jail term to 2 years to serve as a stronger deterrent.
Animal welfare concern group Animal Earth too thinks the proposed penalties are still too light. An offender should be jailed for at least 30 months, spokesman David Wong Kar-yan said.
He lamented that many law enforcement officers do not have enough knowledge and experience to look into animal abuse cases.
Pet lovers, however, should welcome the bill because it is in reaction to the uproar over the actions of a 19 year-old "pet attacker", who cut off at least four cats' and a dog's legs in Yuen Long recently. |
