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SCMP Editorial

Hong Kong must keep an eagle eye out for wildlife traffickers

The discovery of dozens of exotic animals in a flat in Sham Shui Po highlights the need to step up enforcement against the illegal wildlife trade

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A rescued snake is seen after the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Hong Kong Police Force mounted a joint raid on a Sham Shui Po flat with dozens of wild animals on June 25. Photo: Handout
SCMP Editorial
Editorials represent the views of the South China Morning Post on the issues of the day.
Hong Kong’s cramped living space makes keeping larger animal pets a tricky affair. It is shocking that a flat in one of the most densely populated urban districts was found to be home to dozens of exotic animals, some of which were endangered species. The incident has sparked calls for tighter surveillance over illegal wildlife trafficking.
The drama came after a large green reptile was spotted on the balcony of a flat in a Sham Shui Po building last Wednesday, later confirmed to be an estuarine crocodile measuring 1.5 metres (4.9 feet), with a suspected leg injury. Following a rescue operation by an animal welfare agency, the police arrested the owner of the crocodile, who had also kept 63 other animals in her flat, including rock iguanas, Aldabra giant tortoises, a savannah monitor, a boa constrictor and a Burmese python.

The question to ask is how these exotic and protected species made their way into Hong Kong despite tight control against illegal trafficking. According to the authorities, the 35-year-old owner said the animals were kept for “education purposes”, but she was unable to provide valid permits for keeping the endangered animals.

Currently, the maximum punishment for violating the city’s endangered species protection law is a HK$10 million (US$1.27 million) fine and 10 years’ imprisonment. But the lucrative trade continues to tempt offenders despite the toughened penalties.

In a blitz operation in March, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department seized 14 reptiles of endangered species, including a crocodile, pythons, monitor lizards and turtles, from premises in an industrial building in Kwai Chung. In April, the customs authorities seized 26 illegally imported live birds of endangered species and 215 live birds, with an estimated market value of about HK$58,000, at the Lo Wu Control Point.

Officials believe the Sham Shui Po case is just an isolated one. But they should step up enforcement against the illegal wildlife trafficking activities behind it. Pet owners can also help stop the lucrative trade by refraining from patronising unauthorised sales of endangered species.

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