HONG KONG: Some Hong Kong residents planning to leave the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with their pets because of conflict in the Middle East are considering flying to other countries rather than returning home due to the city’s 120-day quarantine requirement for cats and dogs.
The pet owners called on authorities to relax the “excessive” quarantine rules for Dubai, saying the requirement had made returning to Hong Kong unfeasible.
In a reply to the South China Morning Post, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said that while its stance on the quarantine requirement remained unchanged, import applications would be processed “expeditiously” given the situation in the Middle East.
According to Hong Kong’s pet import rules, pets arriving from Dubai are classified as falling under Group IIIB, which requires them to be quarantined for at least 120 days in the department’s Animal Management Centre.
This is on top of an estimated waiting time for spots at the quarantine facility, which is currently around three months for dogs and 10 months for cats.
“Hong Kong is not a viable option because of the 120-day quarantine, making it impossible to relocate back,” said a 47-year-old senior executive, who wished to be identified only by his surname, Chan.
Chan and his wife have a two-year-old saluki mixed-breed dog called “Mango”, which they adopted during their stay in Dubai.
He said about 40 Hong Kong residents and expatriates with pets in Dubai had formed a chat group discussing their options and alternatives.
Many more pet owners in the UAE were in a similar situation and had been receiving support from fellow Hongkongers about relocation options, Chan said.
A woman who only gave her name as Mandy, who owns two dogs, said one of her pets had medical needs and might not survive the 120-day quarantine, on top of being uprooted from home.
“For this particular situation, they must create a special portal for people who are trying to get back home, or at least provide more support in a faster and more efficient way to get us in,” she said.
Mandy said immigration authorities were in touch with Hongkongers in the Middle East and had offered help returning to the city, but she had declined.
“I said if they were to ease the import regulations for my pets, then obviously I’ll come with them, but I’m not leaving them,” she said.
Mandy, who moved to Dubai a year ago, said other countries had relaxed their pet import restrictions for families fleeing the Middle East and urged the Hong Kong government to do the same.
On Thursday, Greece launched a special flight from Abu Dhabi to Athens, evacuating 45 pets along with 101 people.
India has announced a one-time relaxation allowing pet dogs and cats to return from conflict-affected countries in the Mideast.
In France, the Ministry of Agriculture waived its strict regulations on importing dogs and cats from 13 countries until April 30, introducing a temporary emergency procedure allowing pets to enter the country if they do not fully meet the usual European Union import requirements.
Mandy said her options included moving to the United Kingdom for six months before travelling back to Hong Kong, as pets entering the city from the United Kingdom do not have to quarantine.
But the option would involve a 12-hour flight for her dogs, making it a stressful journey, she added.
Another alternative would be to spend 90 days in Thailand before quarantining for 30 days when entering Hong Kong, Mandy said.
Chan said the UAE pet owners were not demanding chartered flights or military evacuations, such as those carried out by Singapore, Spain and Australia.
“We’re not asking for a flight to be paid for. We’re not entitled that way. We just want authorities to look at the quarantine list and review it. India, Greece and France have all done it,” he said.
“By doing that, you match the same level of goodwill in such uncertain times. That is a really simple thing the Hong Kong government should be doing immediately.”
He added: “The Hong Kong government should work across departments and review these exceptional circumstances. This is a force majeure situation.”
Talent would rather go to Europe or other parts of Asia where there was no quarantine requirement for pets, he said, warning Hong Kong would lose professionals to the rest of the world.
For now, Chan and his family are packing their bags for Bangkok in Thailand, where he can get all paperwork done within one week and pets need not be quarantined upon arrival.
In response to queries by the SCMP, the AFCD said that it had contacted places in the Group IIIB category last year, including the UAE, and invited them to provide information for a review of the group classification.
“The AFCD has no plan to relax the existing quarantine requirements for cats and dogs imported from the UAE and other Middle East countries,” it said.
“Nonetheless, in view of the recent incidents in the Middle East, the department will process related import applications expeditiously and provide help tailored to the specific circumstances of individual cases.”
As the war entered its third week, news reports emerged of expats abandoning their pets as they fled Dubai, despite it being a punishable offence.
Animal shelters in the UAE have reported an increase in pets being left by people fleeing the war, but have said they are reaching full capacity. - South China Morning Post
