Animal cruelty: Hong Kong police investigate possible poisoning of 34 birds after carcasses found near playpark
- Birds carcasses discovered near Ho Man Tin High Level Service Playground over four days, with government laboratory to test corn pieces found at scene for poison
- Incident follows string of animal cruelty cases last month, including arrest of 66-year-old suspected of breaking wild pigeon’s wings
Hong Kong police are investigating the possible poisoning of 34 birds after their carcasses were discovered near a public playground over four days.
The force on Wednesday said some pieces of corn had been found near Ho Man Tin High Level Service Playground at Quarry Hill and taken to a government laboratory to determine if they were laced with poison.
Officers were called to the park at around 6.30am on Wednesday after a passer-by found six dead birds close to a basketball court.
“Some corn, which the man suspected had been laced with poison and used as bait, was also discovered near the carcasses,” police said, adding officers had found another 10 dead birds on a nearby hillside.
Hong Kong police arrest woman, 57, over fatal fall of 2 cats at housing estate
An initial investigation showed the carcasses included sparrows, pigeons and a spotted dove, they added.
According to the force, cleaning workers had told crime-squad officers that they found nine dead birds on Sunday, another five carcasses on Monday and four on Tuesday.
Police are treating the case as animal cruelty – an offence punishable by up to three years in jail and a HK$200,000 (US$25,502) fine.
Detectives from the force’s Kowloon City criminal investigation unit are following up on the case. No arrests have been made so far.
Woman arrested over dog’s death in Hong Kong’s third alleged abuse case in week
Last month, Hong Kong witnessed a string of animal cruelty cases, including the death of a nine-year-old Yorkshire terrier on May 8, a week after undergoing an operation to remove 18 fragments in its skull. The dog was believed to have been brutally abused.
Police are searching for the boyfriend of the pet owner’s mother in connection with the case. The Post earlier learned the man had left Hong Kong.
A day after the dog’s death, officers arrested a Greek woman over a separate case of alleged animal cruelty after her 10-month-old Maltese died.
A 22-year-old man was arrested on May 3 on suspicion of ill-treating his husky in another case. The incident came to light after an online video showed someone briefly attempting to strangle the dog using the flap of a metal cage as the animal hung its head outside the container through an opening.
Hong Kong man arrested on suspicion of breaking wings of wild pigeon
Police on May 17 also arrested a 66-year-old man for allegedly breaking a wild pigeon’s wings, after the bird was discovered at a public housing estate in Tseung Kwan O.
The pigeons could have caused a nuisance and hygiene problems at King Lam Estate, leading the suspect to commit the alleged abuse, police said at the time.
Two weeks later, the force arrested a 57-year-old woman on suspicion of animal cruelty about 13 hours after her two cats fell to their deaths from a public housing block in Tsz Wan Shan.
