Hong Kong poachers are leaving more illegal traps in nature areas to catch wildlife, with stray dogs paying the price: animal rights group
- Poachers place traps on quiet mountain trails, targeting animals such as foxes, porcupines and wild boars
- Wild boar concern group says current penalties for illegal poaching aren’t tough enough to deter culprits
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said it found 31 illegal traps last year, up from 24 in 2022 and 20 in 2021. Last month alone, it found 21 traps at various places.
The society’s chief inspector, Desmond Tsang Ka-lun, said poachers usually placed traps on mountain trails less popular with hikers, targeting wild animals such as foxes, porcupines and wild boars.
Stray dogs often end up trapped and most are found alive but injured, he said. SPCA vets tended to the rescued animals and assess whether they were suitable for adoption after they healed.
The Post accompanied the group on a rescue mission on January 30, after it received a report of a stray dog trapped in the hills near Shing Mun Reservoir in Tsuen Wan.
Two SPCA officers abseiled down a slope to rescue the mongrel, which had its right front paw caught by a wire trap. It was whimpering with its right front leg swollen.