In 2020, a team of rescuers entered an empty home in Mong Kok. There, they found a scared and weak dog abandoned by its owner.
She was taken to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA). They named her Wu Tsui and nursed her back to health.
The eight-year-old is still affected by her past abuse: for example, she is scared of motorcycles and sticks. But Wu Tsui is also very loving towards those who take care of her.
At first, the large dog had trouble living at the SPCA’s building in Wan Chai. But now, Wu Tsui has been moved to a larger space at the charity’s new centre, which opened in March. Now, she can be more comfortable as she waits for a family to adopt her.
Abandonment and adoption trends
The number of animals being abandoned has risen in Hong Kong in recent years. In 2023, the Inspectorate Department rescued 4,058 animals. This means they saved around 11 animals per day. In comparison, 1,836 animals were rescued in 2014.
Fiona Woodhouse is the deputy director of the SPCA, and Fiona Cumming is the executive director. They said the rise in animal abandonment is because many people are leaving Hong Kong. Fewer families are adopting pets.
“Last January, we had only eight dogs adopted, which is a low number,” Cumming said. The return to the office after Covid-19 rules were lifted also affected pets, Cumming added. This made it more likely for people to give up their animals.
Abandoned pets also face other problems. According to the two SPCA staff, many Hongkongers do not want to adopt mongrels. They are more likely to adopt cats or small purebred dogs.
Taking care of bigger dogs in Hong Kong can be tough because homes tend to be small, and many buildings have rules against owning pets.
One-stop shop for animal care
The huge new centre in Tsing Yi is called the SPCA Jockey Club Centennial Centre. It has the largest pet hospital in the New Territories. It is located here because this area has many animals that need emergency care.
Woodhouse said that before the new facility opened in Tsing Yi, “we were having to transport them [from the New Territories] back to Hong Kong Island, which was extending the rescue time”.
The centre is a “one-stop shop” for animal care and welfare. Besides the hospital, the centre also has an adoption space, a grooming area, training rooms, a large pet garden and rooms for animals to live.
The centre also has four classrooms where children can learn to care for animals. These lessons “really instil in children the importance of pet responsibility”, Cumming said.
Reflect: How would you encourage people to adopt pets?
Why this story matters: Many people have been leaving behind their pets. The SPCA’s new centre has more room to help these animals. It also has activities to teach children how to care for animals.
