Hong Kong Health & Environment
More illegal traps have been found in nature areas across Hong Kong as poachers find it easier to obtain and set them up, according to an animal rights group.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said it found 31 illegal traps last year, up from 24 in 2022 and 20 in 2021. Last month alone, it found 21 traps at various places.
The society’s chief inspector, Desmond Tsang Ka-lun, said poachers usually placed traps on mountain trails less popular with hikers, targeting wild animals such as foxes, porcupines and wild boars.
Stray dogs often end up trapped and most are found alive but injured, he said. SPCA vets tended to the rescued animals and assess whether they were suitable for adoption after they healed.
The Post accompanied the group on a rescue mission on January 30, after it received a report of a stray dog trapped in the hills near Shing Mun Reservoir in Tsuen Wan.
Two SPCA officers abseiled down a slope to rescue the mongrel, which had its right front paw caught by a wire trap. It was whimpering with its right front leg swollen.
The team also found shredded bread, dried squid and fish hanging on a tree nearby, which it believed was left by poachers to attract wild boars.
On January 17, two dogs were found trapped within 10 metres (32.8 feet) of each other in Sha Tau Kok in northeastern New Territories, both with paws caught in traps. SPCA officers rescued the dogs and found 12 illegal traps in the area, including many with metal wires and snares..
Source : https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3251745/hong-kong-poachers-are-leaving-more-illegal-traps-nature-areas-catch-wildlife-stray-dogs-paying
