Dog Lovers Call For Tougher Laws On Animal Abuse

Animal rights activists staged a rally outside the government's headquarters on Sunday calling for a thorough review of animal protection laws in Hong Kong.

The demonstrators said a spate of suspected animal cruelty cases over the past few weeks shows the city's laws are outdated and the penalties for animal abuse are too light.

Evelyn Lam, the founder of the non-profit group Paws Hero, said people should really think long and hard before they buy new pets.

"It's so easy to buy a dog. You can just go online, probably pay a few thousand dollars, you can get a dog online and you can just walk into a shop any time. There's no duty of care, you don't have to think before," Lam told RTHK's Iris Yeung.

"We have been doing a lot of advertising on this; think before you buy. But I think it's not enough. We need to impose a duty of care to owners to make sure they are responsible for taking care of their dogs and they think clearly before they buy a dog."

Last week, the government said it is planning to amend road traffic laws to make it a requirement for motorists to report to the police if they hit a dog or a cat on the city's streets. It also said officials would be looking at the liability of pet owners if they fail to discharge their responsibilities towards their animals.