Wildlife in the Market: How is the Transit-hub City Dealing with the Animal Trade
The four Galapagos tortoises were smuggled into Hong Kong in a parcel from the United States, intercepted by Hong Kong officials, and sent to our Rescue Centre in October 2016. Galapagos tortoises can weigh up to 227 kilograms and live for more than 100 years.
Tricarinate Hill Turtles are endangered animals in the IUCN Red List.
Following a confiscation by Hong Kong police in 2010, the KFBG Rescue Centre received twelve endangered Malayan Box Turtles. They were thought to be traveling from Hong Kong to destinations in mainland China.
The four Galapagos tortoises were smuggled into Hong Kong in a parcel from the United States, intercepted by Hong Kong officials, and sent to our Rescue Centre in October 2016. Galapagos tortoises can weigh up to 227 kilograms and live for more than 100 years.
Please click on the photos to view captions. Photo by KFBG
By Icy Chen
It is hard to guess from these four pairs of deep black eyes what these tortoises are thinking. Perhaps they are looking forward to their upcoming trip.
These four Galapagos tortoises, one of the rarest species in the world, were smuggled in a package to Hong Kong from the United States in October 2016. They had been living in the Kadoorie Farm and Botanical Garden rescue center for six years until March when they were sent to Europe to start a new life.
Departing with them were 51 other turtles of four species, most of whom were rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. These lucky survivors were sent to four overseas conservation facilities for long-term housing, including the Turtle Island Conservation Research Center and the Closed Shell Turtle Conservation Center in Austria, as well as Zoo Delle Maitine and Safari Ravenna in Italy.
Hong Kong is a significant transit hub in the illegal wildlife trade, with more than 655 tonnes of goods worth over HK$285 million recovered in 2019 and 2020, according to research released earlier this year by environmental group the ADM Capital Foundation. Except for 2015, the seizures in those two years eclipsed all annual totals in the previous ten years, according to the report.
Elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, leopards, bears, turtles, and pangolins are the most commonly smuggled animals, according to the University of Hong Kong. Many animals or their finished products enter the end market in mainland China through Hong Kong.
The Hong Kong Ports are used by traffickers to conduct continuous commerce in the world's most endangered species of wild wildlife and flora, said Jovy Chan, Manager of the Wildlife Conservation of WWF-Hong Kong. "Trade volume is increasing, adding to the worldwide extinction catastrophe," Chan added.
There are three main purposes that wildlife is being traded illegally for, which are pet trade, food trade, and for use in traditional medicine, said Paul Crow, senior conservation officer at KFBG.
The front left leg and some claws on the hind left leg were lost when this turtle arrived at KFBG in 2019. This could have been caused by a congenital defect or a childhood accident. Three support rollers have been installed beneath its lower shell, or plastron, to aid in balance and walking. Photo by KFBG
Shirley is a three-legged ploughshare tortoise. She was kidnapped from her home in a remote area of Madagascar in 2019, taken to Ethiopia by boat and plane, then wrapped in plastic tape and flown to Hong Kong with 56 other endangered turtles, according to SCMP.
Hong Kong customs discovered another Ploughshare turtle traveling with her, which is thought to be a near relative of her, dead in September 2019.
Shelly was kept at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Gardens in the meantime and treated with rollers to compensate for her lost legs before being flown to Chester Zoo in the United Kingdom in December 2021.
Three support rollers have been installed beneath its lower shell, or plastron, to aid in balance and walking. From the “Turtles in Trouble 2018” report, there are likely fewer than 100 Ploughshare Tortoises remaining in the wild. Photo by KFBG
"A large proportion of live animals in illegal trade will not make it. They'll just perish on the route"
Paul Crow
Senior Conservation Officer at KFBG
"A large proportion of live animals in illegal trade will not make it," Crow said. "They'll just perish on the route because traders that are trading illegally are not following any standards and welfare or any standards for animal care."
"They're just trying to smuggle in as big a bulk and as quickly as they can," said Crow.
Loophole in Legal Wildlife Trade
In Hong Kong, there are a number of various regulations that protect native animals, such as Cap. 170 Wild Animals Protection Ordinance, which identifies specific species to be protected.
"However, at the moment, that law is rather archaic," says Kestrel Lam, Senior Conservation Officer of Hong Kong Society of Herpetology. "The lists were created many years ago, and the species in Hong Kong and their status have changed over time, so they need to be updated to ensure that nature is better protected here," he added.
For example, the only species of snake that are protected under Hong Kong law are the Burmese Python. However, in the opinion of Ken Lee, a local snake catcher with over thirteen years of experience, pythons are actually quite numerous.
"In my snake catching records, pythons are in the top three," said Lee. "There are rarer and more endangered animals that deserve more attention, and the government needs to go deeper to understand which species are more threatened."
For protected wildlife, it is written in the WAPO that people with special permits can buy, sell, export, or offer for sale or export them. But there are enforcement loopholes behind this permit, Lam from the Hong Kong Society of Herpetology said.
For example, if a trader has a permit to sell 10 endangered sea turtles, that trader can sell 10 turtles at a time as many times as he or she wants, Lam said
"No one is counting the numbers, and this means that if you have a permit, you can sell an unlimited number of wild animals," Lam added. "It's a big loophole in the trade market, and it's quite a worrying situation right now."
New LAW
The city, which occupies an important geographical position in the global wildlife trade , is paying an effort to make a change.
Hong Kong Legislative Council enacted a bill last August, amending the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance to classify the illegal trade in wildlife as a serious crime under the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance.
With the passage of this bill, the government will have more investigative and enforcement powers to combat the illegal wildlife trade, including the ability to freeze the assets of suspected wildlife trafficking syndicates and impose stiffer penalties on violators after they have been gazetted.
The new law is more than welcomed by local animal rights groups.
"This amendment is a milestone in a coordinated effort to put an end to the illegal wildlife trade that fuels, exploits, and exploits species around the world," said Phyllis Wong, the Welfare Research and Development Officer of SPCA.
Since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, the rescue center of KFBG, which rescues and rehabilitate confiscated wildlife involved in illegal trade on behalf of the government, witnessed a huge decrease in the number of illegally traded animals.
"Only one or two were sent to us in a couple of years when normally we will get one or two every month," said Crow from KFBG.
Traders are unable to smuggle wildlife because the number of cargo shipments and flights has decreased dramatically while the number of customs officers and police officers and inspections has remained the same.
This means that the chances of being caught smuggling are greatly increased, Crow said.
The reduction in shipments combined with the city's newly imposed laws has helped slow the illegal wildlife trade.
"That won't stop global illegal wildlife trade, but Hong Kong should do its part," said Crow.