Captured Burmese pythons are being released back into the Hong Kong countryside rather than being deported to the mainland in a policy U-turn that has delighted animal-welfare groups but worried some pet owners.
For years, the pythons - Hong Kong's biggest natural predator, which can grow up to six metres long - were sent across the border and handed to nature reserves after they strayed into residential areas or attacked household pets.
The practice was fiercely opposed by animal-welfare groups, who said it upset Hong Kong's ecosystem and warned that the endangered snakes might end up being killed or traded in a market where a large python can fetch up to 10,000 yuan (HK$12,300).
Since the beginning of last year, however, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has quietly changed its policy and has been releasing the pythons back into remote areas of Hong Kong countryside at the rate of about eight a month in a trial project. With the help of conservationists from Kadoorie Farm, each captured snake has a microchip inserted before being released back into the wild as part of a study to monitor their little-known habits and movements.
Insiders say the policy change was not publicly announced because of concerns about objections.
When its previous policy of sending the snakes to the mainland was challenged, the department said it was sending them over the border because they were so large and powerful they could pose threats to humans and their pets and livestock.