HONG KONG: Hong Kong wildlife protection authorities have recorded 23 cases of smuggled orchids in the first month of the year, with the number expected to rise in the coming weeks as Lunar New Year approaches.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department also pledged to step up patrols and enforcement at borders during the holiday season, when such crimes tend to peak.
Endangered Species Protection Officer Jenny Lau Yuen-yung said the department discovered 23 cases of illegally imported orchids between the start of the year and Feb 1.
“We expect the number of cases to rise as we get closer to Lunar New Year,” she said, adding they were usually concentrated in the period right before the holiday.
“We will work closely with the Customs and Excise Department to step up enforcement and distribute brochures to remind the public against illegally importing orchids.”
In Hong Kong, all orchid species are covered by the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance, which implements the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) to ensure sustainable trade.
In January and February last year, the department logged 155 cases of illegally imported orchids, up from 110 in the same period in 2024 and four cases in 2023.
The 155 cases made up more than half of the 249 recorded last year, a trend Lau attributed to the rise in demand due to the Lunar New Year.
The department reported 590 cases of smuggling of endangered animals and plants in 2025, up from 563 in 2024 and 498 in 2023.
Orchids made up the greatest number of cases last year, while reptiles were the most commonly smuggled type of animal.
“Post-pandemic, there is an increase in the volume of travellers crossing the border, leading to the rise in the number of cases,” Lau said.
To help detect the crimes, the department has turned to its quarantine detector dog team.
Set up in 2008, the team currently has eight dogs – six Labradors and two beagles – which are used at land borders and the airport.
They are responsible for screening travellers and their baggage, as well as cargo.
While customs detector dogs are trained to sniff out drugs, explosives, cash, firearms and tobacco, the ones working with conservation department officers help detect controlled items such as animals and plants.
In the past three years, the canine team has played a role in 59 cases involving arrests over illegally imported plant and animal species, as well as taking part in more than 150 public education events.
Items they are trained to detect include live mammals, reptiles, American ginseng and popular dried seafood such as shark fin and dried seahorse.
Handler Raymond Ko Hoi-weng said the dogs underwent four months of training at the department’s Ta Kwu Ling Operation Centre and also at sites along the borders.
“These dogs need to be friendly and calm as they work at crowded border control points, so Labradors and beagles are more suitable, and they have an acute sense of smell,” he said.
“We are also in close contact with the department’s Animal Management Centre, and if we find any dogs suitable to be working dogs, we will recruit them.” - South China Morning Post
