Conservationists are calling for tougher penalties against poachers who are pushing a critically endangered turtle to the verge of extinction.
And they are appealing to the public to help overcome the practical difficulties of enforcing a ban on turtle trapping by reporting suspicious activity in country parks.
Hong Kong is home to the only golden coin turtles in the world after the species was wiped out across southern China and Vietnam by widespread trapping and harvesting.
The species can fetch from HK$15,000 to HK$350,000 for a single turtle in the city and on the mainland, where it has traditionally been a prized ingredient in Chinese medicine and is now also sought after as a cure for cancer.
Under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance 1976, the maximum fine for poaching is HK$100,000. Since 2001, four people have been convicted of poaching gold coin turtles in Hong Kong but the highest fine imposed by the courts is HK$3,000.
A breeding programme is under way at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden in the New Territories in a bid to create a colony of 100 turtles that can be released into the wild in 10 years' time to reinforce the existing population. It is conducted under high security after thieves broke in and stole 23 hatchlings in 2005.