(CN - HKG) Spay It, Don't Say It

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http://hk-magazine.com/feature/spay-it-don-t-say-it

 

Spay It, Don't Say It

May 15th, 2009

 

Animal rights groups citywide are pushing for an aggressive new spay and

neutering campaign to keep our strays at a manageable level, writes John

Robertson.

 

" Cuteness At What Cost? " reads the flyer of local animal welfare group STOP,

referring to the harm inflicted on animals by Hong Kong's pet trade. Some of

the figures listed beneath will unsettle even the most hardened zoophobe.

According to an SPCA survey they cite, 78 percent of pets sold by local

shops end up with life-threatening diseases, with 20 percent of them going

on to die soon after. Meanwhile, abandoned animals turned into the

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department's (AFCD) kennels have

just four days to be adopted or be put down. As a result, nearly 2,000

animals are killed every month.

 

While this is nothing new, the spotlight lately has been on dogs in

particular. Local concern groups such as the Society for Preventing Cruelty

to Animals (SPCA), the Society for Abandoned Animals (SAA) and Hong Kong Dog

Rescue (HKDR) have traditionally tried to minimize the number of such deaths

by taking dogs into their own kennels. Yet with all their centers now full,

they have been pushing hard for over a decade to get the government involved

in stopping needless animal deaths at the source. The push is for a

multi-pronged approach, involving tighter pet trade regulations, better

education of pet owners, and a " Trap, Neuter and Return " (TNR) program.

 

The latter program, which has already successfully reduced the number of

stray dogs in other countries around the world (as well as stray cats here,

thanks to the SPCA's program), will be the subject of a meeting between the

AFCD, SPCA and SAA at the end of the month, which will discuss legal

protocols for a trial operation. While an agreement could possibly be

reached soon, many animal supporters believe more vocal public pressure on

the issue is urgent (see mailing list address below).

 

The pet trade in Hong Kong has long been a target of criticism when it comes

to animal welfare. Currently nobody has any figures on how many dogs are

imported, or even where they all come from. " We have a never-ending stream

of dogs coming in, " says Sandy Macalister, executive director at the SPCA.

" While there are two official breeders, all concerned parties believe there

is illegal smuggling of pets from the mainland happening at an unsustainable

rate. "

 

Once they end up in pet stores, say the animal groups, they're typically

shoved in tiny wire cages crammed with other dogs and subject to harmful

treatment. " Most of the stores don't care about pets, it's just a

moneymaking industry, " says Jen Mccombie, Vice-Chair of STOP. " They're

pumped full of hormones, not vaccinated, and they're taken from their

mothers before they're ready. " Not only do they often end up with behavioral

problems, but as mentioned earlier, many of them become sick. In response,

Mccombie and others believe the government needs to dramatically tighten

regulations on imports, while monitoring and grading pet shops with a tier

system, such as the one found in Singapore.

 

Unfortunately, the situation frequently doesn't get better for such dogs

once they're bought. Existing sickness or behavioral problems are only

liable to get worse if they're taken in by ignorant owners in cramped flats.

 

At the SAA, chairperson El Chan says they go out of their way to make sure

the dogs in their kennels only go into suitable homes, regardless of how

much they want people to adopt the dogs. " Potential adopters are given

information booklets, and must have appropriately sized residences relative

to the size and needs of the dog, " she says. She and other pet advocates

agree that residents of most Hong Kong flats shouldn't keep a dog, unless

they can be at home most of time and walk it four to five times a day.

 

Pet abuse often goes much further than keeping dogs in confined spaces,

however. Dogs can often be treated more like toys or fashion accessories

than animals in Hong Kong. Local sales of " designer dogs " have been known to

spike after the appearance of films such as " Beverly Hills Chihuahua, " only

for the same dogs to be discarded a few months later once they get bigger

than anticipated. " You hear about people wanting to get rid of dogs for the

most ridiculous reasons-like, 'I had a child instead,' or 'I broke up with

my boyfriend,' " says Brook Babington, Chair of STOP, who first discovered

her dog Hollywood running down Hollywood Road after it had been abandoned by

its owner. Aside from being left out on the street, dogs have also commonly

been found left in vacant apartments, stuffed in trashcans and even chained

on rooftops.

 

Most of the local animal groups promote educational campaigns to keep owners

informed about how to properly raise and treat dogs. " People that adopt from

us are asked to join us, " says the SPCA's Macalister. " We offer education

programs from junior school levels

to adults. "

 

Education is clearly crucial on the issue of spaying and neutering dogs

because these procedures are particularly important in keeping numbers

controlled and thus result in fewer dogs being put down at the kennels. All

groups are lobbying heavily for a trial run of the TNR this year.

 

TNR programs involve rounding up stray dogs, neutering and vaccinating them,

and then releasing suitable ones back into their territory-or finding a home

for them if possible. While it won't reduce the population of strays to

zero, it has been shown to cut it massively in areas including Bhutan and

Phuket-the latter of which spayed and neutered 17,000 of their dogs, says

Babington. She adds that in addition to driving down the population, the

program will help curb the spread of diseases such as rabies from China.

 

The SPCA and SCA have been lobbying the AFCD for the last decade. As

mentioned, there are signs it may be gaining momentum, yet many agree more

public pressure is needed. That's where STOP comes in. While the other

animal welfare groups are bogged down in everyday business, according to

Babington, STOP serves as the mouthpiece, gathering members of the community

and organizing email campaigns. " In the old times you would have a few angry

letters from individual members of the animal welfare groups, now you can

have 4,000 emails from the public. " With enough support, Babington is

hopeful that a trial program can be implemented this year.

 

To get on the STOP mailing list, email stopsavehkcatsdogs.

 

On June 3, STOP will be hosting a Safe Sex for Pets party at CLIQ, proceeds

for which will go towards a spay and neuter fund.