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NEWS |
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Pigs for pets?
A local paper recently reported that a woman was facing prosecution for keeping a pig at home for four years. The woman claimed the street vendor from whom she bought the pig told her the pet was a mini-size breed, the Oriental daily said. The home animal has however eventually grown to nearly 300 pounds. The pig was denied adoption by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal (SPCA) and several farms. It was likely to be put down if no suitable keepers were found, the report said. According to Section 15 of the Waste Disposal Ordinance, pigs cannot be kept in what is called livestock waste prohibition areas, including all urban and new town areas, part of Lantau Island, part of the outlying islands and part of Sai Kung. "Anyone who contravenes the ordinance is liable to a maximum fine of $100,000 for the first instance and $200,000 for subsequent offence," said Natalia Leung, a spokesperson for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD). She added that exemption was applicable only by those having or running livestock wholesale, retail business or poultry stalls. However, in Taiwan, Japan and mainland China, it is legal to keep mini-pigs as pets which can be easily bought in pet shops. A book called "Miniature Pet Pig" is the first guidebook published in Taiwan to teach people how to tame, feed and raise mini-pigs, including tips on the pets psychology. "The mini-pigs are popular this year," Ms Tsang, the owner of a pet shop in Guangzhou was lately quoted by Ta Kung Pao as saying. The proprietress said a mini-pig was usually priced around RMB300 to 400 each, attracting many pet lovers, especially youngsters and businessmen. She believed the price would keep going up during the Lunar New Year period. Such transactions seemed absent in Hong Kong. The TYR reporters have made a trip to the cluster of pet shops at Tung Choi Street in Mong Kok. All owners there denied having sold pigs but some acknowledged having had an increasing number of potential customers asking about mini-pigs. They believed this was due to the pig birth symbol this year One pet shop assistant said their company did not plan to sell mini-pigs even if the advent of the year of the pig might lead to high sales. Meanwhile TYR has found that mini-pigs were claimed to be on sale on Pet28.com, a local pet trading website, at $2,500 each. The profile of the trading was browsed over 2,000 times. But Ms Leung of EPD said more information, such as where the traders kept would be needed to determine if the activity was legal The spokesperson for the SPCA meanwhile said that if they receive any pigs, they would either contact the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) or transfer them to the Kadoorie Farm or the Botanic Garden. Up to now, the SPCA has not received any abandoned pigs. "I do not know anyone selling or keeping mini-pigs in Hong Kong," said Lam Chi-lun, the director of Organic Country Limited, an organic farming concern. "It is not an easy task to keep a pig, like taking care of their nutrition and health. It will also cause hygiene and noise problems to your neighbours. That is more difficult than keeping a dog," he said. Mr Lam also noted that farm pigs would also be "mini-pigs" when they were young. And even the "real" mini--pigs are not truly "mini", they could grow up to 50 kg. Importation of pigs is also controlled by the Public Health (Animals and Birds) Regulations. Any imported animals are required to apply for an advance permit from the AFCD. Desmond Tse Siu-wah, a Field Office with the AFCD, said the department has not received any enquiry about applying for a licence to keep mini-pigs in recent months so far. "We will not consider issuing any special permit for the import of mini- pigs for pets, which is regarded as a threat to public health in Hong Kong," said Mr Tse. Official health statistics showed last year there was a total of eight cases of Streptococcus suis Infection, a disease transmittable especially among piglets. And in recent months, five local people, including two pig farmers and three pig butchers, have died of symptoms of pneumonia, suspected to be related to the disease. Mr Tse also stressed that the government would not allow local farms to breed and sell piglets as festival pets. Under the Waste Disposal Ordinance, any illegal breeding of animals once discovered could face prosecution. - EDITED BY alice choi wing-yin & eva shum yee |
This is the year of the pig on the Chinese lunar calendar. And piglets, or mini-pigs, which are bred in and imported from Taiwan, Thailand and Japan, with black birthmarks on their backs and heads, may find their way to local homes as pets – illegally.