Hong Kong authorities to get new legal powers in fight against wildlife trafficking after Legco passes bill to make it an organised crime

Amendment to Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance will allow law enforcement agencies to freeze assets of suspected trafficking groups, apply harsher penalties

Offences such as illegal import, export and re-export of rare and endangered species will also be covered

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Pangolins, whose scales are said to have great medicinal properties, are among the main types of species smuggled through Hong Kong. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Published: 9:19pm, 18 Aug 2021Updated: 9:38am, 19 Aug 2021

Law enforcement authorities will be empowered to crack down on the kingpins of animal trafficking after Hong Kong’s legislature passed a bill to consider wildlife smuggling an organised crime on Wednesday.

The amendment to the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance (OSCO), proposed by lawmaker Elizabeth Quat earlier this year, will give authorities additional powers to freeze assets of suspected wildlife trafficking syndicates and apply harsher penalties to the perpetrators after it is gazetted.

“In terms of protecting endangered species of animals and plants and cracking down on the trade of such species, the bill will be significant,” Quat said during a Legislative Council meeting on Wednesday.

Claudia Cheng of Wild Aid (left), Kitty Tam of WWF-Hong Kong, lawmaker Elizabeth Quat and ADM Capital Foundation’s Christie Wong before the Legislative Council vote on the bill earlier on Wednesday. Photo: Edmond So

The bill she proposed would see offences under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap 586), such as for illegal import, export and re-export of rare and endangered species, be covered under OSCO.

Hong Kong has long been a hub for wildlife trafficking, with more than 640 tonnes of goods worth HK$207 million (US$26.6 million) seized in 2018 and 2019, according to a report by environmental group the ADM Capital Foundation earlier this year. The seizures over those two years surpassed all annual totals in the 10 years before that, except 2015, the report said.