customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

sponsorType

authorLocations

authors

paywallTypes

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

factSheets

series

summary

updatedDate

knowledgeQuestion

disableOffPlatformContent

published

subHeadline

body

keywords

copyrighted

customTimezone

liveContents

Edith Lin

Hong Kong authorities have been prickly over rules on owning hedgehogs in the city, prompting one association to stop offering adoption services for the animals after battling to secure a licence for years.
The Hong Kong Hedgehog Association announced its decision late on Wednesday night after receiving a warning from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.
The association, which was formed in 2016, said it would continue to rescue a small number of abandoned hedgehogs, but none would be put up for adoption.
“The abandonment problem has always existed. Taking care of more than 10, or even 28 at most, animals requires money, but we cannot get approval from the government on all sorts of licences. It has put us in an awkward position,” a statement on Instagram said.
“I worry that abandoned hedgehogs will appear again in the mountains, parks or we’ll even see their dead bodies.”
The association said it applied unsuccessfully for an exemption from holding an animal trader licence, which allows animal welfare groups to provide rehoming services by charging adoption fees.
“The department did not, or, we would say, could not approve the licence because of problems surrounding the animal species,” the group said.
The association’s founder, who only gave her name as Zofeya, told the Post the department said hedgehogs could not be imported into the city and their existence in Hong Kong remained “in a grey area”, so the group would not be successful in its application.
She added that Hong Kong did not have a specific ban on adopting the animals, but the department said the group could only give them away as it could not apply for an exemption from the animal trader licence.
“But we are concerned about whether the hedgehogs will be sold for profit if we provide a free service,” Zofeya said.
The founder said the association had also tried to look for legal ways to provide adoption services, but the department had replied it was not responsible for the issue and told them to contact other government units instead.
The association, which has taken care of about 200 hedgehogs over the years, said it had also applied to the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) to become a charity but failed because of problems associated with the animals. It had filed numerous documents detailing its work and services as part of the application.
The group also said it believed authorities had received complaints about its operations, which prompted them to reject its applications.
The Hong Kong branch of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said it was not against the law to own hedgehogs despite bans on importing and trading them.
“[Some] hedgehog owners acquire their pets through illegal means, such as smuggling, while others may receive them from friends or hedgehog interest groups,” a spokeswoman said.

The SPCA advised residents against keeping hedgehogs, noting they were not a domesticated animal and required specialised care. If they developed an illness, the owner would have to find a veterinary surgeon with experience in dealing with exotic pets, it said.
The society called on residents to reach out to the conservation department and other reputable rehoming organisations for advice if they came across abandoned hedgehogs.
The department told the Post it strictly regulated the import of exotic species or wild animals.
“Generally speaking, the department does not approve the import of hedgehogs for selling or keeping as pets … [and] does not issue an animal trader licence for sale of animal species that are not permitted to be imported,” a spokesman said.
He added that any individual or animal welfare organisation charging adoption fee as a condition for transferring an animal would be considered as conducting a sale.
The IRD, which processes applications for tax exemption status of charity organisations, told the Post it was prohibited from commenting or disclosing relevant information on individual cases.
The spokeswoman said it would consider factors including whether the organisation was established for charitable purposes “in the strict legal sense” and for public benefit.
Under current regulations, hedgehogs cannot be sold by a licensed animal trader. Anyone trading animals without the proper licence can face a maximum fine of HK$100,000 (US$12,800) upon conviction.
Animals can only be imported into the city with a valid permit. Any person found guilty of illegally importing animals is liable to face a maximum fine of HK$50,000 and imprisonment for one year.
The rules are partly aimed at preventing the spread of zoonotic diseases by infected animals.
The department told the Hong Kong Reptile and Amphibian Society in 2004 that the government would allow hedgehogs to come to the city with their owners, according to an article published by the society.


Hong Kong surfers hit the waves during Super Typhoon Yagi despite increased patrols

Hong Kong to suspend classes on Friday, delay dozens of flights ahead of Super Typhoon Yagi

Why Hong Kong’s mega events seem so small and how to bring back the ‘wow’ factor

Soft landing essential as schools cut classes

Hong Kong society

Prickly business: Hong Kong’s rules on owning hedgehogs prompt group to end adoption services

The Hong Kong Hedgehog Association has been in operation since 2016. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

The association says it has applied unsuccessfully for an exemption from holding a licence that allows animal welfare groups to provide rehoming services by charging adoption fees. Photo: K. Y. Cheng

Hong Kong watchdog warns pet owners to be wary of animal boarding services

Pet owners should do their homework before using animal boarding services for their furry friends. Photo: Yik Yeung-man.

Victor Lam with Consumer Council chief executive Gilly Wong Fung-han. Photo: Jonathan Wong

Hong Kong may reduce quarantine for imported pets but animals must be vaccinated, tested

A veterinarian prepares to vaccinate a pet cat.  Photo: Shutterstock

Secretary for Environment and Ecology Tse Chin-wan says the government’s study to reduce the quarantine period was in its final stage. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong has one of the world’s strictest quarantine regimes for pet cats and dogs despite recording no local cases of rabies since 1987. Photo: Shutterstock

News

Hong Kong

Health & Environment

Hong Kong Hedgehog Association will stop putting up abandoned animals for adoption after years of fighting for licences in legal ‘grey area’


Association says it will stop putting up abandoned animals for adoption after years of fighting for licence in legal ‘grey area’.


Animals