Injured mongrel found with cuts to its eye and head sparks Hong Kong police probe
- Acting on a report on Friday, police found the injured dog outside a restaurant at Sheung Tsuen, on Kam Sheung Road in Pat Heung
- Kent Luk, founder of Hong Kong Paws Guardian, says though the injuries are not life-threatening, the animal may lose its sight in one eye
Hong Kong police have launched an investigation into a case of suspected animal cruelty, after a mongrel was found to have suffered cuts to its left eye and head, which might result in the loss of its sight in one eye.
Police said they had received a report from a man surnamed Luk at about 1pm on Friday, and found the injured dog outside a restaurant at Sheung Tsuen, on Kam Sheung Road in Pat Heung.
Kent Luk, founder of Hong Kong Paws Guardian who reported the alleged crime, said a volunteer of his group spotted the severely injured mongrel bleeding from its head. The five-year-old dog had a white wire and a green rope around its neck.
Luk said when the volunteer tried to rescue the dog, it panicked and quickly ran away towards Tai Mo Shan. Luk and others in his animal shelter organisation started looking for it in the neighbourhood, eventually finding it at about 1pm in Pat Heung.
“The dog suffered multiple slashes likely to have been caused by a cutter. One wound was running from its head to its right jaw, and the other from the head to the left eye socket. Its eyeball almost fell out,” Luk said.
He took the mongrel to an animal clinic for an operation, and said even though the wounds were not life-threatening, they might deprive the dog of its sight in one eye.
Police said they were investigating the matter and no one had been arrested so far.
On Thursday, another case of animal cruelty shocked the city after officers discovered the carcass of a dead cat in Kwai Chung. Its abdomen appeared to have been slashed open, a police spokesman said.
Police investigating after ‘slashed open’ dead cat found in Kwai Chung park
The gruesome discovery recalled the finding of 15 cat and dog carcasses on the city’s beaches in August. Local law enforcers at the time said the animals might have been thrown overboard by smugglers who were being pursued.
Authorities received 150 suspected animal cruelty cases in the first half of this year. There were 288 such reports over the whole of 2019 and 368 cases the year before.
There were five prosecutions between January and June 2020, compared with 29 in the whole of last year and 27 in 2018.
In Hong Kong, cruelty to animals carries a maximum penalty of three years in jail and a HK$200,000 (US$25,792) fine.
