Cats and dogs are our beloved companions. Being pet owners, we should cherish them and be responsible for taking care of them. However, many Hong Kong people do not take their responsibilities.
Recently the number of stray dogs and cats was skyrocketing. The animal welfare organization has received approximately 4000 cases on stray dogs and cats this year. The number of cases is rising over these ten years, revealing that the pet owners are being more irresponsible and cruel.
The most horrendous issue is that some stray dogs and cats were snatched from the streets and were taken to horrific meat markets in Fanling and Sheung Shui. They were then sold for human consumption. This issue associates with different health problems and ethic issue. We should never turn a blind eye to this alarming situation.
Possible Harm to Human Beings
The stray dogs and cats may consume contaminated food on the street. The meat sold by horrific meat markets may contain bacteria and viruses.
If humans consume those tainted foods which have not gone through quality check by the Department of Health, humans may suffer from different disease, for instance, diarrhoea and allergy. People may even die if there are no suitable antibiotics for killing bacteria. The consequences of eating contaminated stray cats and dogs are no doubt seriously harmful.
A Rescue Operation
The Animal Welfare Organisation is dedicated to protecting our lovely pets. We believe that any illegal trade of pets or sale of pets’ meat should be strictly prohibited.
The Animal Welfare Organisation join hands with the Police Department to set up a special task force. When citizens suspect that some shops are selling pets illegally, they can report to us through hotline. We will sue the illegal shops and take back the snatched animals. The general public should cooperate with us to eradicate the inhumane problem.
Animal Welfare
The Animal Welfare Organisation has launched an “Animal Orphanage” program. We collect stray dogs and cats which are discovered by volunteers. Health care services are provided. We look after the pathetic animals until they find a “new home”. We are calling for people who are sympathetic to them and willing to shoulder the responsibility of taking care of them to join our program. They can take any one of the pets to home for free.
We sincerely hope that the stray dogs and cats can find the ones who love them and the problem of stray pets can be eliminated.