Gov’t refutes animal activist’s claims over stray dog culling following fatal mauling

Hong Kong authorities have dismissed an animal rights activist’s claims that captured stray dogs will be subject to “convenience culling,” as eight unattended canines from Yuen Long were caught in a joint operation following a fatal mauling incident last week. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department personnel carrying out an operation to capture stray dogs in Yuen Long on September 21, 2026. Photo: Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said on Thursday that a five-day operation jointly conducted with the police had captured eight stray dogs in Yuen Long. Among them, three were microchipped but their licences had expired, the department said. The operation was launched in response to a suspected dog attack in Yuen Long that killed a 27-year-old woman, who suffered lacerations to her head, neck, arms and legs. Last month, a 33-year-old woman was also found dead at a licensed animal shelter in Ta Kwu Ling after being mauled by a canine. The AFCD said a frontline staff member sustained a dog bite to the hand during the operation on Wednesday, and remained in a stable condition under treatment in hospital. One registered keeper has been charged with failing to hold a valid dog licence and failing to keep their dog under proper control in public, the AFCD said. That keeper was reportedly animal rights activist Kent Luk, founder of Paws Guardian Rescue Shelter. Luk earlier told a radio programme that he is the registered keeper for close to 4,000 canines, mostly stray dogs his group has rescued on the streets. ‘Statutory timeframe’ The AFCD on Thursday also refuted Luk’s claim that captured stray dogs will be culled four days after capture. Luk made the claim during the radio programme, urging authorities against “convenient culling.” He said only animals suffering from serious disease should be put down and urged the government to review the city’s Rabies Ordinance. Dogs in Yuen Long on September 22, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. “The four-day period stipulated by law is simply the statutory timeframe required for the AFCD to make enquiries and locate the keepers,” the department said in a statement on Thursday. Captured dogs will be scanned for microchips and verified for licences, and their registered keepers will be contacted, the AFCD said. Dogs whose keepers cannot be traced will be kept under observation at Animal Management Centres, it added. “Dogs that are in good health and have a gentle temperament will be transferred to the AFCD’s partner animal welfare organisations for sterilisation and rehoming. The AFCD will not release dogs without keepers back into the community so as to avoid posing public safety risks,” the department said. It can take weeks, even months, for dogs to be transferred to partner organisations, depending on the animals’ health, temperament, and the capacity of the receiving organisation, the AFCD said. Dogs in Hong Kong. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The AFCD also said that, even after being neutered, ownerless dogs can still pose risks to public safety in a high-density urban environment like Hong Kong. Animal welfare activists like Luk have advocated for a “TNR” strategy – trap, neuter, and release – to manage stray animals in the city. However, the AFCD said that registered dog owners must fulfil the commitment of taking care of the animal for life, and that abandoning a dog is an offence. Authorities are considering heavier fines for pet abandonment following a string of suspected dog attacks in the city. See also: ‘Deed, not breed’: Owners and experts push back on stigma against ‘fighting dogs’ Last month, a large dog – reportedly a Spanish mastiff – killed two smaller pet dogs in separate incidents in Yuen Long. Dog owners and professionals have said that aggression in dogs could be a result of the animals’ early experience, socialisation, the environment, and the misunderstanding of humans. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Hans Tse is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in local politics, academia, and media transformation. He was previously a social science researcher, with writing published in the Social Movement Studies and Social Transformation of Chinese Societies journals. He holds an M.Phil in communication from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Before joining HKFP, he also worked as a freelance reporter for Initium between 2019 and 2021, where he covered the height - and aftermath - of the 2019 protests, as well as the national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020. More by Hans Tse