Hong Kong police arrest man on suspicion of animal cruelty after finding wild pigeon with broken wings
- Suspect, 66, arrested after plain-clothes officers laid ambush at public housing estate following video showing ill-treatment
- Pigeon’s two wings were injured to varying degrees, according to Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Hong Kong police arrested a 66-year-old man on suspicion of animal cruelty after finding a wild pigeon with broken wings at a public housing estate in Tseung Kwan O on Wednesday.
Inspector Tam Chung-ki of the Tseung Kwan O district crime squad said pigeons might have caused a nuisance and hygiene problems at King Lam Estate, leading the suspect to commit the illegal act.
The man, who lives in the estate, was detained for animal cruelty – an offence punishable by up to three years in jail and a HK$200,000 (US$25,517) fine.
A police team investigating animal cruelty began looking into the case on Tuesday after they received a report from a resident who had a video showing the suspected ill-treatment of a pigeon at the estate.
After gathering evidence, plain-clothes officers laid an ambush at the estate in the early hours of Wednesday.
At about 5.45am, officers spotted the 66-year-old retiree walking towards King Min House at the estate.
“Outside the building, he squatted and grabbed a wild pigeon. Seconds later, he released the pigeon,” Inspector Tam said.
She added that officers arrested the man after finding the pigeon’s two wings were broken.
A spokesman for the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said an initial examination found the pigeon’s two wings were injured to varying degrees, with one of them suffering a fracture.
“We believed the injuries were caused by unnatural factors,” he said, adding that the pigeon was sent to its Causeway Bay clinic for further examination.
Tam said they were still investigating the motive behind the incident and that it was possible that nuisance and hygiene problems caused by wild pigeons could have led to the attack.
But she said an investigation found the suspect had not filed a complaint in relation to a nuisance or hygiene issues.
She added there had been four similar animal cruelty cases in the district in the past two years, and officers were investigating whether the suspect was linked to the previous incidents.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the suspect was still being held for questioning.
The incident marks the fourth reported animal cruelty case this month.
In one of the three previous incidents, a nine-year-old Yorkshire terrier suspected to have been brutally abused died last Monday about a week after undergoing an operation to remove 18 fragments in its skull.
Police are searching for the boyfriend of the pet owner’s mother in connection with the case. The Post learned that the man had left the city.
Police on May 9 arrested a Greek woman on suspicion of animal cruelty after her 10-month-old Maltese was suspected to have died from abuse.
In the third case, a 22-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of ill-treating his husky on May 3.
The incident came to light after a video posted online showed the dog in a metal cage with its head hanging out of an opening before a lid was closed on the animal and someone’s hand could be seen pressing down on the flap in an apparent attempt to briefly strangle it.
