Animal Welfare in Hong Kong

Whether we are pet keepers or not, we are surrounded by animals and animal products. Hong Kong is only a small region but its high population density means that a very large number of animals are effected by its residents. Looking at the numbers below illustrates the size of the challenge faced by the SPCA in the quest to improve animal welfare.

Animals eaten in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong in 2009, some 4,600 live pigs, some 78 live cattle and some 22,000 live chickens were slaughtered every day. This does not include meat that is frozen or chilled that is imported from overseas.

Live animals slaughtered	Daily (2009)	Annually (2009)
Pigs	4,600 animals	1,597,373 animals
Chickens	33 tonnes (approx 22,000 animals based on an average weight of 1.5kg)	11,944 tonnes (approximately 7,962,666 animals)
Cattle	78 animals	approx 28,000
Freshwater fish	250 tonnes	48,342 tonnes
Marine fish	130 tonnes	92,450 tonnes
Eggs		39,324 tonnes

Animals kept in Hong Kong

In a thematic survey conducted by the Census and Statistics Department in 2005, it was estimated that 286,300 households (12% of all households) in Hong Kong had some 524,800 pets. Of which, 197,900 (37.7%) were dogs, 99,200 (18.9%) were cats and another 98,300 (18.7%) were turtles and tortoises.

	Number of animals	Percentage
Dogs	197,700	37.7%
Cats	99,200	18.9%
Turtles and tortoises	98,300	18.7%
Birds	51,800	9.9%
Hamsters	38,300	7.3%
Rabbits	12,200	2.3%
Other	27,300	5.2%
TOTAL	524,800	100%

Animals abandoned in Hong Kong

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) handles between 5,000- 7,000 stray dogs annually. In 2011, the department handled 5,800 stray dogs and 3,557 stray cats; 852 dogs and 205 cats were re-homed through animal welfare organisations. The majority of stray animals are put down if homes cannot be found for them.

Animals handled by SPCA

2016/2017	Dogs	Cats	Others	TOTAL
Collected/ rescued by inspectors	921	1226	1725	3872
Surrendered by owners	174	225	280	679
Strays found by the public	189	303	214	706
Selected from AFCD for rehoming	99	69	158	326
Selected from shelters for rehoming	49	111	85	245
Reclaimed by owner	237	210	20	467
Kept for homing	671	1048	954	2673
Foster animals	244	537	92	873
Released/ referred to KFBG	0	0	670	670
Strays sent to AFCD	159	2	150	311
Humanely destroyed	234	586	579	1399
Animals homed	666	1026	908	2600

Animals "worn" in Hong Kong

Fur

Some fifty million animals, including an estimated two million dogs and cats, are subject to unnecessary cruelty by the fur trade. Hong Kong is the centre of this trade, being the largest exporter of furs in the world. Many furriers have set up production and manufacturing facilities in China due to higher production as well as stricter environmental rules in Hong Kong. HK functions mainly as a re-export hub where furs from overseas are moved on to China. 93% of HK's fur skin exports to China are for manufacturing and production. During the first half of 2010 the Hong Kong Trade and Development Council reported that fur related exports from Hong Kong increased by over 20%.

Learn more about fur farms on our Fur Trade page.

Leather

In 2003, Hong Kong was one of the world's largest importers of leather skins, second only to the United States. Hong Kong remains a major hub for re-exporting leather products from the Mainland. Footwear makes up 70% of leather exports, with the US and European Union being its two largest markets.