More than 70 years after the trade was made illegal, authorities in Hong Kong raided a store on suspicion of selling dog and cat meat for eating.
During a “combined blitz operation” by the city’s Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department on Thursday evening, officers discovered “suspected samples of dog or cat flesh” at a store in the Yau Ma Tei neighbourhood.
According to the AFCD, it conducted the raid after learning that the meats were being sold in Yau Ma Tei, a very populated commercial and residential area in the Kowloon region, and it had planned testing of the samples it had seized.
It declared that it was also looking into whether the store was selling fresh meat without a permit.
If it is confirmed, prosecution will be brought, according to the AFCD.
The regulations of the semi-autonomous Chinese city of Hong Kong forbid the consumption of dog and cat meat, and the news has led both lawmakers and animal rights organisations to urge for increased enforcement.
In a Facebook post, lawmaker Gary Chan called the sale of cat and dog meat “abhorrent.”
The legislator stated that consuming cat and dog meat has been prohibited in Hong Kong for more than 70 years. The event shows that law enforcement agencies’ spot checks have not been conducted frequently enough.
The government authorities conducted the raid in response to local media reports that said the meats could be purchased frozen for around $12 per catty (a local unit equal to about 1.3 pounds), which is comparable to the cost of cooked beef.
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, a local animal rights organisation, declared on Friday that it “strongly condemns” the sale of dog and cat meat for consumption.
It exhorted the general public to get in touch with the police and other pertinent authorities right away if they believe it is being sold.
According to Hong Kong’s Dogs and Cats Regulations, “no one shall slaughter any dog or cat for use as food, whether for humanity or otherwise, and no person shall sell, use, or authorise the sale or use of dogs and cats’ flesh for food.”
Those found guilty face a maximum fine of $640 and a possible sentence of six months in jail.
According to Humane Society International, 10 million cats and 30 million dogs are killed each year for human consumption. Animal consumption is fueled by illegal trade and slaughter in some parts of Asia.