Hong Kong police have launched an investigation into animal cruelty after more than 100 fish, including large koi, died while a pond was being cleaned at a public housing estate in Tseung Kwan O.
The incident occurred on Monday morning when a cleaning contractor removed the fish to facilitate maintenance, but allegedly failed to provide a temporary space with adequate aeration, according to the animal rights group Hong Kong Pigeon and Dove Rescue.
“Someone has called for help. A cleaning company came to wash the fish pond and simply scooped all the fish out and set them aside ... Since 1pm [on Monday], the death toll has been rising continuously because there are no air pumps,” the group wrote in a Facebook post.
The force on Tuesday said it received a report at 8.01pm on Monday from a passer-by who discovered dozens of fish kept in three separate crates outside a pond near King Min House at King Lam Estate.
Initially classified as a request for police assistance, the case was subsequently reclassified as cruelty to animals. A probe is under way by the Tseung Kwan O district criminal investigation team, although no arrests had been made as of Tuesday morning.
The aftermath of the mass die-off was captured in a widely circulated photograph showing dozens of dead fish, including large orange and white koi, laid out in neat rows across the wet brick pavement.
The rescue group provided updates throughout the night. By 3.30am on Tuesday, it confirmed the death toll had reached 104.
A volunteer rescue effort involving the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the conservation group Turtle’s Inn managed to stabilise the surviving fish and relocate them to nearby ponds, the group added.
Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, those found responsible for causing unnecessary suffering to animals face a maximum penalty of three years in prison and a fine of HK$200,000 (US$25,600). -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
