Outrage over dog euthanised after reaching Hong Kong on Thai cargo vessel
- Animal is suspected to have wandered onto ship, and online users had located owner in Bangkok but it was too late
- Authorities say dog carried a high rabies risk as it had no identification record
Hong Kong authorities have sparked outrage for killing a dog which had hitched a ride on a cargo vessel arriving from Thailand.
On Wednesday evening, animal rights activists were up in arms after the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department euthanised the canine before its owner – who had been contacted online – could claim it.
The four-legged stowaway reached a port in Tsing Yi on Tuesday morning after a six-day ride on board a cargo ship from Laem Chabang, about 120km south of Bangkok.
Crew members alerted the department, believing it was the relevant authority and that it would take care of the animal. The dog was then taken away by officers, according to online media Hong Kong Animal Post and Democratic Party lawmaker Roy Kwong Chun-yu.
On the same day, a dog lover who worked at the port posted an online appeal on Facebook to locate the owner in Thailand.
His post was widely circulated and received with enthusiasm from animal welfare groups. A woman in Bangkok was eventually identified as the owner and alerted.
Realising the department might euthanise the dog in four days according to its policy of handling unclaimed stray animals with an unknown health history, Kwong wrote to department chief Dr Leung Siu-fai on Wednesday morning.
The case will turn Hong Kong into a laughing stock internationally