Convocation Newsletter, Spring 2019

Amanda Whitfort | Law Advocate for Animals Photo: Anthony Fan 范家朗 (BSc (Surv) 2018) A ssociate Professor Amanda Whitfort of the Faculty of Law uses her legal expertise to save animals locally and globally. Her landmark 2010 Review of Animal Welfare Legislation in Hong Kong , co-authored with Dr Fiona Woodhouse, Deputy Director (Welfare) of the Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals, (Hong Kong), led to a new Hong Kong law being enacted in 2016 to protect animals from cruelty in the pet trade. “We had a law enacted that has stopped the unlicensed breeding of dogs, which was taking place in appalling conditions. There were sick animals kept in cages, and then being sold online.” Whitfort explained her hands- on approach to investigating abuses: “I sent vets to slaughterhouses, farms, shelters and pet stores.” Whitfort is now working to halt wildlife trafficking, a move that could have international impact, given Hong Kong’s role as a global hub between African habitats and lucrative Asian markets for endangered species. She has been invited to feature in six training videos for the Hong Kong judiciary on the impact of wildlife crime, and is advocating for a change in Hong Kong law so that wildlife trafficking is recognised as an organised and serious crime. At a conference co-organised by HKU’s Centre for Comparative and Public Law and ADM Capital Foundation (ADMCF), Whitfort spoke with two other academics, Honorary Professor Yvonne Sadovy and Dr Caroline Dingle of the School of Biological Sciences , in a vivid testimony to the ongoing work on animal welfare across disciplines. “To underpin effective law enforcement, we need reliable evidence identifying trafficked species provided by forensic scientists like Dr Caroline Dingle,” Whitfort said. Dr Dingle uses technologies such as genetic identification to discover the origins of trafficked animals at HKU’s Conservation Forensics Lab , the first facility of its kind in Hong Kong. Hong Kong seizures of precious ivory, rhino horn and pangolin scales since 2013 potentially equate to the deaths of 3,000 elephants, 51 rhinoceros and 64,000 pangolins, according to a report co-authored by Whitfort and published by ADMCF. The government estimates the value of illegal wildlife seizures at HK$87 million to HK$142 million a year. Whitfort also pointed out that wildlife crime was linked to other crimes, such as violence against rangers in Africa. “The global demand for wildlife products is at its highest in Asia. The average value of seizures is now second only to dangerous drugs. We have a responsibility to get this right.”