Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
LCQ12: Control of illegal feeding of feral pigeons
Question:
The Wild Animals Protection (Amendment) Ordinance 2024 (the Amendment Ordinance), which came into operation on August 1, 2024, has expanded the prohibition on feeding wild animals to cover feral pigeons. According to the information on the Estimates of Expenditure 2026-2027 provided by the authorities in reply to my question, the preliminary findings of the next phase of the territory-wide feral pigeon population surveys are expected to be available in the second quarter of this year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the detailed findings of the latest feral pigeon population surveys; if the relevant statistics are not yet available, of the reasons for that;
(2) whether the authorities have formulated any objective standards for assessing if the control of feral pigeons and the enforcement work against the illegal feeding of feral pigeons have achieved satisfactory effects; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;
(3) of the current number and locations of illegal feral pigeon feeding blackspots in the 18 districts of Hong Kong; whether the current numbers of such blackspots and locations have dropped when compared with those before the measure to prohibit the feeding of feral pigeons came into operation;
(4) as it has been reported that the Government has commenced the trial use of a monitoring system equipped with AI technology to identify feral pigeon congregation spots and illegal feeding behaviour, and will study the application of the system and related technologies to other illegal feeding blackspots, of the relevant implementation progress and outcome;
(5) as it has been reported that the number of fixed penalty notices issued by the authorities during inspections and enforcement operations is on the low side, whether the authorities have encountered any difficulties in law enforcement; if so, whether they have formulated any response plans; and
(6) given that according to the information on the Estimates of Expenditure 2026-2027 provided by the authorities in reply to my question, the feral pigeon population in Hong Kong declined during the initial commencement of the Amendment Ordinance, and as pointed out by the authorities, the problems concerning the feral pigeon population and the nuisance caused by them will probably show some improvement after the foraging habits of feral pigeons are restored to their natural state, whether the authorities have analysed if the decline in the feral pigeon population is attributable to the return of some feral pigeons to the natural environment for foraging; whether the authorities will introduce other ancillary measures to further guide feral pigeons to return to their natural habitats?
Reply:
President,
The Government has been adopting a multi-pronged approach to address illegal feeding of feral pigeons, including the passage of the Wild Animals Protection (Amendment) Ordinance 2024 (Amendment Ordinance) which expands the prohibition on feeding of wild animals to cover feral pigeons and thus increases the maximum penalty for illegal feeding to a fine of $100,000 and imprisonment for one year, and introducing a fixed penalty of $5,000, so as to step up efforts in combatting illegal feeding activities. Also, the Government has enhanced the publicity and education initiatives to remind the public not to feed feral pigeons.
In addition, the Amendment Ordinance expanded the scope of the Government’s enforcement officers to include appointed officers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD), the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) and the Housing Department (HD), in addition to existing officers of the Agricultural, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and police officers, to enhance effectiveness of law enforcement.
The AFCD, in collaboration with the FEHD, the LCSD and the HD, has established the Inter-departmental Working Group on Feeding Ban Enforcement to review and enhance the enforcement strategies and implementation of the feeding ban through regular meetings. By adopting a risk-based enforcement strategy, relevant departments will conduct routine patrols and enforcement under their managed venues or public places, and arrange special patrols and enforcement operations based on intelligence and reports.
The reply to the various parts of the question raised by the Hon Cheung Pui-kong is as follows:
(1) to (3) Since the Amendment Ordinance came into effect on August 1, 2024, the AFCD has been commissioning consultants to conduct territory-wide feral pigeon population surveys regularly, covering about 140 survey points. Results of the surveys are tabulated as follows:
| Year/Quarter* Aside from the aforementioned surveys, the AFCD have also listed 42 locations across all districts as monitoring points of feral pigeon congregation for indicative reference to objectively assess the situation. The distribution of the monitoring points is tabulated as follows:
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