Hong Kong can lead in animal welfare
Howard Wong says our human instinct to protect those weaker than ourselves should extend to animals.Asia's 'world city' needs to catch upwith global standards, particularly in scientific researchand discussion
While there have been some real and positive developments in animal welfare in recent years, the chasm continues to widen between what is considered acceptable here and what is acceptable to countries that set the standards in animal welfare.
One may ask why Hong Kong people should be concerned with the welfare of animals at all. Is animal welfare just an emotive subject of concern to a small group of individuals - animal-lovers and/or animal rights extremists - that has no place in common discussion? Or is there something more basic that requires our attention on the subject?
The answer, invariably, is somewhere in between.
But a parallel can be drawn between animal cruelty and child abuse, with both groups unable to speak up to defend themselves. Just as no one in his or her right mind would question the importance of preventing child abuse, so we should view animal cruelty in the same way.
Even taking into account cultural differences (which is vital, justified and which should not be inaccurately and simplistically labelled as merely an excuse for poor welfare), the lack of proper scientific research and discussion of animal welfare issues puts Hong Kong on a perilous path, since it is an oft-quoted observation that people who treat their animals well tend to treat their own people better as well.
On the flip side, animal abuse cases are often a more sinister indicator of child or spousal abuse.