Recent articles in the media have reported terrible cases of cruelty to animals. One case involved a dog that died because it was kept locked in a cage, without exercise, food, or water. Another involved a man who beat a small dog to death to stop it from barking while he was watching TV. Write a letter to the SCMP discussing the problem of animal cruelty in Hong Kong and suggesting three ways to promote responsible pet ownership.
Dear Editor,
Keeping animals in good living conditions is the responsibility of pet owners. Unfortunately, many pet owners do not perform their duties well and cause tragedies eventually. I am writing to discuss the problem of animal cruelty in Hong Kong and suggest some ways to promote responsible pet ownership.
In Hong Kong, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance is enacted to deal with animal cruelty with a maximum 3- year imprisonment and fines of HKD$200,000. Despite this, the problem of animal cruelty still exists.
Here are some real cases of animal cruelty in the city.
In January of 2006, a dog was found covered in blood inside a nylon bag outside a flat. The dog had been badly beaten by its owner’s friend whom it barked at. In June of the same year, a cat was starved to death. In April of 2010, 43 dogs and cats were discovered in a kennel in Man On Shan Village. Many of them had skin diseases because of the harsh environment.
Worryingly, many people do not have the right attitude toward keeping pets. According to a survey conducted by “My Pet Magazine”, 12.4% of the respondents said they would consider abandoning their pets to stray in public parks. This indicates the potential of occurrence of more cases of animal cruelty.
To tackle the problem of animal cruelty, the promotion of responsible pet ownership should be strengthened.
First and foremost, the government should provide more funds to the “ Society for the prevention of Cruelty to Animals” to give more educational talks. In each talk, the staff from the SPCA demonstrates different kinds of animal cruelty cases, educates the audience on how to be a good and responsible pet owner, and the most important of all—reminds the audience to think twice before homing a pet. The educational talk is indeed very useful to promote responsible pet ownership. Nevertheless, the SPCA obtains insufficient funds from the government and hence does not have sufficient resources to hold talks frequently. Therefore, the government should offer the SPCA more financial support so that more educational talks can be held.
Besides, the government can place advertisements to promote responsible pet ownership. The advertisements may contain messages like “treating a pet as a family member but not a toy” and “taking a companion animal is a life-long commitment and should not be an instant impulsive decision’. The advertisements can be placed through the mass media such as TV, radio and newspapers. In addition, transit advertising can also be used, for instance, placing advertisements on the exterior sides of public transport vehicles and at the bus shelters.
Last but not least, schools may hold a “Pet Fun Day” once a year. On this day, students and teachers can bring their pets to school and share their experience of taking care of their pets as well as giving reminders to the schoolmates who plan to keep a pet.
In short, animals are living creatures which can also feel painful, hungry and thirsty. Their lives are valuable. They need our love, care and patience. I hope this letter can raise public awareness of the need to care for animals and that the above suggestions can be seriously considered.
Yours faithfully,
Chris
Chris Wong