Hong Kong monastery cook given 160 hours of community service for cruelty to dogs

Showing remorse, Ng Sing-yiu spared jail for tying two stray mongrels in nylon bags at Po Lin Monastery and abandoning them in the wild

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The two dogs, “Dai Mui” and “Sai Mui”, were found in September last year. Photo: Animal Post

Published: 12:56pm, 19 Jun 2025Updated: 5:11pm, 19 Jun 2025

A chef at a prominent Buddhist monastery in Hong Kong has been sentenced to 160 hours of community service for wrapping two stray dogs in nylon bags and abandoning them in the wild last year.

West Kowloon Court on Thursday spared Ng Sing-yiu, 65, from jail after his probation officer found the defendant genuinely regretted his misdeeds and displayed a “strong desire” to turn over a new leaf.

Ng pleaded guilty earlier this month to three counts of animal cruelty for committing the offences outside the Hung Uk dormitory at Po Lin Monastery on Lantau Island on August 13, 2024.

The defendant admitted capturing the two mongrels, placing them in nylon bags and tying them up tightly. He released the dogs at a car park in San Shek Wan, 14km (8.7 miles) away from the dormitory.

The dogs, known as “Sai Mui” and “Dai Mui” – meaning “little sister” and “big sister” in Chinese – were found on September 11 and 21 last year, respectively.

The defendant had told police the excrement from the dogs’ visits to the monastery was affecting the hygiene situation in his kitchen.

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