Animal cruelty in Hong Kong must be tackled with education and a targeted task force

I refer to the article, “Call for action on animal cruelty after dog killings”, (April 9). It is heartbreaking to read of animal cruelty becoming increasingly prevalent in Hong Kong, with the latest cases involving pets being poisoned or thrown from the roof of a high-rise building.

The controversy over the dog meat festival in mainland China shows animal cruelty is unacceptable to most people. I believe the continued existence of animal abuse could be attributed to a lack of deterrents.

Apart from advancing laws on animal protection, policymakers must recognise that the lack of a proper task force on animal welfare and not enough education on the matter play a part, too. Let’s hope the government can take concrete action to address the issue.