TNAG-0469-FCO40-534-Legislation-for-protection-of-wild-life-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 116

PENN

· 12 -

Hechtel

Well the worst caso that I think I've ever seen really was a monkey running around in a basket with a bleeding stump, and a number of men laughing and joking a few feet away. And hanging up not far from the monkey was its tail the remainder of its tail - hanging by a bit of string. It's really horrific

to think what went on before that tail came off.

-

The way the birds are kept - absolutely atrocious.

Some birds have wire put through their nostrils to hold their bills together to prevent them from biting. I've seen this done to kestrels, I've seen it done to shrikes. The wire goes through the nostrils, is pushed through the nostrils, and then bound tightly underneath the lower mandible. Very often the legs are tied together so tightly that obviously the circulation's cut off. The wings are very often tied above them. Sometimes the whole bird is sort of trussed up with a bit of wire. I've

seen bills that have been broken off to prevent them from biting literally just snapped off with a pair of pliars, right up to the base. The birds are then pushed into baskets through holes that are far too small for them. They're pulled out with their wings

stretched behind them.

I've seen owls actually given water forcibly: I suppose the chaps thought that the owls were dying of thirst, and I've seen a man drink water and then put his mouth to the - force the mouth open of the owl and then blow down it, which of course would go straight into the bird's lungs and it would die of pneumonia.

All this takes place under the benevolent gaze of Chairman Mao's portrait smiling down from the wall.

We saw the arms of an ape groping from a bongo shaped container the monkey being encased inside this, hidden, in a crouched position

and unable to move for at least a week. We saw shop men tormenting families of monkeys with food and lighted cigarettes and relishing their screams; and we saw a porcupine half devoured by its companions. The list is endless. It's a curiously silent suffering - because only the monkeys utter any cries.

-

In March 1973 there were 67 licenced animal shops in Hong Kong

licences being issued at the discretion of the Director who is responsible for trading conditions. He has an inspectorate of 3 people and in the year ended June 1973 action taken against Shing Lee Hong and the two other main shops like it amounted to ten cruelty

warnings.