Hong Kong police arrest man over poisoned cat food
HKFP · 1 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
Hong Kong police have arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of animal cruelty after volunteers monitoring stray-cat feeding spots allegedly caught him lacing cat food with rat poison. Police said officers also found rat bait and a 14 cm fruit knife on him, while no cats were harmed in the incident
Key Points
- Police said they received a report at about 3.37am on Saturday alleging that the suspect, surnamed Ho, had spiked bowls of food prepared for stray cats with poison
- Surveillance cameras set up by animal welfare volunteers recorded the alleged act, and the footage later spread widely on social media alongside videos of volunteers confronting him
- According to police, officers arriving at the scene found a packet of rat bait and a 14 cm fruit knife on Ho, then arrested him on suspicion of animal cruelty and possession of an offensive weapon
- The case has been taken over by the Sham Shui Po police district crime unit, and police said Ho was being detained for further investigation after the arrest
- In videos of the confrontation, Ho denied trying to harm the cats and said he only wanted to stop strays eating there to keep the area clean, while volunteers said poisoned animals could die in public places instead
Why It Matters
The case has drawn attention because volunteers said they had been monitoring the suspect for more than a month and had previously documented suspected poisoned cat food and water as far back as June. It also underscores the legal consequences of animal cruelty in Hong Kong, where the maximum penalty is a HK$200,000 fine and three years' imprisonment