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Q Should the beached Sai Kung whale have been put down?

I do not believe the whale needed to be put down. It could have been rescued using the right equipment, instead of the futile but heroic efforts of a few teenagers.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department is not equipped and not used to dealing with such an incident. This is unacceptable, as five whales have been washed up in Hong Kong and Macau since 1978. The Sai Kung whale was only 15 tonnes and could have been rescued with a boat with a tow line or winch and a specially designed harness.

Unfortunately, another whale has had to die and a government department has failed in a relatively simple rescue mission. It is about time the agriculture department prepared for such emergencies as sooner or later another whale will be stranded on a Hong Kong beach.

What this incident really shows is Hong Kong's lack of respect for marine life, and this is only too apparent when you walk around the seafood restaurants of Sai Kung (and many other places). Marine animals suffer in overcrowded tanks, often half dead while waiting to be butchered alive. I find it barbaric and sickening. John Phelan, Lamma Island

Q Should public tenants be allowed to keep pets?

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