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These requirements include high standards of animal housing, management and feeding and the segregation of sick, vicious or incompatible animals and birds whilst they are in a trader's care. Hawking of animals and birds is also now illegal. I enclose a copy of the Code of Conduct issued under these Regulations.
All this should improve considerably the conditions under which such animals are kept. The Hong Kong Government intend to enforce the regulations strictly and have recently instituted daily inspections of the main traders to ensure that the physical state of the imported animals is satisfactory and that the conditions in which they are kept are up to standard.
The Government are also increasing their direct effort to inspect restaurant premises to detect and prevent cruelty to animals.
The effectiveness of any measures in this field will of course depend, as elsewhere, on the degree of public co-operation which is forthcoming. But I think that all this indicates that the Hong Kong Government are well aware of the problems and have been taking prompt measures to deal with them. D
We were interested to read of your suggestion to appoint
a Conservation Officer for Hong Kong but we were not sure whether you had in mind that the Hong Kong Government or your own Organisation should make such an appointment. In either case I would like to suggest that, if you wish to pursue the proposal you should write direct to the Hong Kong Government about it. The best person to write to would probably be the Director of Agriculture and Fisheries. We should be grateful for a copy of your letter if you do decide to approach the Hong Kong Government.
A L Wotton
Hong Kong and Indian Ocean Dept.
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