Hong Kong urged to provide ‘humane education’ after 14-year-old boy arrested over alleged animal abuse

2026-03-05 - 10:55

An animal rights NGO has urged the Hong Kong government to provide “humane education” and teach respect after a 14-year-old student was arrested on suspicion of animal abuse. The Hong Kong Police Force emblem. File photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP. PETA Asia said in a statement on Thursday that it was “rushing humane education materials” to the Education Bureau and urging the government to prevent violence by young people. The NGO said “stands ready to help teach students that every living being, whether a cat or a classmate, deserves respect.” The statement follows the arrest on Tuesday of a 14-year-old student linked to “an online network circulating disturbing, graphic images and videos depicting the abuse.” The police arrested him in Fu Cheong Estate in Sham Shui Po after receiving a report. Police said the report alerted officers to a social media post about someone in Hong Kong sharing online photos and videos of cat abuse. “The police take all cases of animal cruelty seriously and will not tolerate any form of abusive behaviour towards animals,” the police said in a Chinese statement. It added that cruelty to animals is a serious crime in Hong Kong, with a penalty of up to HK$200,000 and imprisonment for up to three years. However, if the convicted person is under 16 years old, the case will be handled under the juvenile justice system. Young offenders face alternative penalties such as community service, probation or detention centre orders. An aerial view of Lok Mak Chau check point on the Hong Kong border near the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The police said on Wednesday that the suspect has been released on bail. He will report to the police again in early April. Initium Media reported on Thursday that many online chat groups for mainland Chinese animal rescue organisations have been inundated with photos and videos of cat abuse since last December. According to interviews with cat rescue volunteers in mainland China, many of the people behind the abuse are believed to be adolescents, Initium Media reported. The arrest came after a netizen, who said they were from mainland China and currently studying in Hong Kong, said on Threads last Saturday that one of the organisers of the mainland Chinese cat abuse online network is suspected to be a Hong Kong student. The netizen said because the suspect is a minor, and the suspected act took place in mainland China, they were worried that the suspect would not be punished by the law. PETA urged the public not to engage with online content depicting cruelty to animals. Sharing such content can increase its visibility and potentially lead to more violence, the NGO said, adding that the public should report suspected animal abuse to police and PETA.