Legco endorses stiffer penalties over wildlife feeding

The Legislative Council on Wednesday passed an amendment bill to the city’s wildlife protection law, raising the maximum penalty for illegally feeding wild animals to HK$100,000 and a one-year jail term.

The Wild Animals Protection (Amendment) Bill also includes a new fixed penalty for illegal animal feeding, at HK$5,000.

And the ban on illegal feeding would be expanded to cover feral pigeons.

Currently, the maximum penalty for illegally feeding wild animals is a fine of HK$10,000.

The amendments, which will take effect from August 1, are aimed at boosting deterrence against illegal feeding activities in the SAR, protecting wild animals and improving environmental hygiene.

“Under the bill, the scope of government enforcement officers has expanded,” Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan told lawmakers.

“Together with various enforcement departments, a guideline has been put in place, and there will also be comprehensive training to cover identification of wild animals and process, as well as the standards of evidence collection.”

Tse added that joint departmental operations will be arranged if necessary to ensure the effectiveness and consistency of law enforcement, and authorities will continue installing CCTV cameras at “black spots”.