An animal rights organisation has offered a HK$50,000 reward for information that could help police identify those responsible for the suspected abuse of two hamsters found abandoned beside a rubbish bin in Sham Shui Po.
PETA Asia announced the reward on Wednesday after the animals were discovered with severe injuries to their limbs. The organisation said the condition of the hamsters raised concerns that the injuries may have been deliberately inflicted.
The case came to light early Monday after a man surnamed Cheung contacted hamster concern group Hamu Mirukuti for help. According to the group, Cheung said he had come across a cage containing two hamsters beside a rubbish bin in Sham Shui Po.
Members of the group went to the location after receiving the call. What they found prompted them to contact police.
Hamsters found with severe limb injuries
The two animals were discovered inside the abandoned cage with parts of all four limbs missing, according to Hamu Mirukuti.
The group said its members were shocked by the extent of the injuries and reported the case to police after locating the animals.
PETA Asia later described the discovery as horrifying in a social media post. The organisation said parts of the hamsters' paws and feet were missing and described the injuries as highly abnormal.
PETA Asia said it suspected that the injuries could have resulted from deliberate cruelty. The organisation is now offering the HK$50,000 reward to encourage anyone who may have information about what happened to the animals to come forward.
The reward is intended to assist the investigation rather than establish responsibility. Police have not announced that anyone has been identified as a suspect, and no arrests had been made when the force provided an update on Thursday.
The circumstances surrounding the animals' injuries remain unclear.
Concern group contacted after midnight discovery
According to Hamu Mirukuti, the initial report came from Cheung in the early hours of Monday.
He told the group that he had stumbled upon a cage containing two hamsters next to a rubbish bin in Sham Shui Po. The location was subsequently identified as Kweilin Street.
The discovery raised immediate questions about why the animals had been abandoned and how they came to suffer such serious injuries.
Hamu Mirukuti members travelled to the location and found the cage. They said the hamsters had suffered injuries affecting all four limbs, with parts of their paws and feet missing.
Rather than leaving the animals at the scene, the group took responsibility for their immediate care and reported the matter to police.
The hamsters remain under the group's care while arrangements are being made for veterinary treatment.
Police classify incident as animal cruelty
Police confirmed to Hong Kong Free Press on Thursday that officers received a report on Monday concerning two abandoned hamsters on Kweilin Street in Sham Shui Po.
The force classified the incident as an animal cruelty case.
No arrests had been made at the time of the police statement.
The investigation is expected to focus on establishing where the hamsters came from, who owned them and how they sustained their injuries before being left beside the rubbish bin.
Investigators may also need to establish how long the animals had been abandoned before they were found and whether anyone witnessed the incident.
The condition of the hamsters could provide evidence about the circumstances surrounding their injuries once they receive veterinary attention. Information from the person who first discovered the cage and from members of the animal concern group may also form part of the investigation.
PETA Asia calls for information
PETA Asia's reward comes as animal welfare groups seek information that could help establish what happened before the hamsters were discovered.
In its Wednesday social media post, the organisation said the missing portions of the animals' paws and feet were extremely abnormal. It said it suspected deliberate animal cruelty based on the injuries.
The organisation urged people with relevant information to assist the police investigation.
The HK$50,000 reward represents a significant financial incentive for witnesses who may have seen the cage being left in the area or who have information about the animals' ownership.
Such information could be particularly important if the animals had previously been kept as pets. Hamsters are commonly kept as companion animals, and their small size means they can be difficult to trace once abandoned.
Authorities have not publicly stated who owned the animals or whether they had previously been reported missing.
Veterinary treatment could provide further evidence
Hamu Mirukuti said it was arranging for the hamsters to receive veterinary care.
The condition of the animals makes medical treatment a priority, but veterinary examination may also help clarify the nature and extent of their injuries.
A veterinarian can document wounds, assess whether the injuries are recent or older and determine what treatment is needed. Such findings could potentially assist investigators in understanding what happened.
For now, the animals remain in the care of the concern group.
The group's involvement began with a single call for assistance but quickly developed into a police case. The discovery also demonstrates how reports from members of the public can bring suspected animal abuse to the attention of authorities.
In this case, Cheung's decision to contact an animal concern group after finding the cage led to the animals being located, removed from the roadside and placed under care.
Hong Kong law provides for prison sentence
Hong Kong has criminal penalties for animal cruelty.
A person convicted of animal cruelty can face a maximum fine of HK$200,000 and imprisonment for three years.
The penalties apply to offences involving cruelty to animals, with authorities able to investigate cases where animals are allegedly mistreated or abandoned in circumstances that amount to cruelty.
The current investigation has not resulted in an arrest, and no person has been publicly accused of causing the hamsters' injuries.
That distinction remains important as police work to establish the facts surrounding the case.
The investigation will need to determine whether the injuries were deliberately inflicted, how the animals came to be abandoned and who was responsible for them before they were found.
Public urged to help investigation
The discovery in Sham Shui Po has left the two hamsters receiving care while investigators work to establish what happened to them.
Anyone who witnessed suspicious activity involving a cage or hamsters around Kweilin Street before the animals were discovered could potentially have information relevant to the case.
The HK$50,000 reward offered by PETA Asia is intended to encourage such witnesses to come forward.
For the animal concern group caring for the hamsters, the immediate task is to secure veterinary treatment and help the animals recover from their injuries. For police, the priority is to determine who abandoned them and whether their injuries were deliberately caused.
The case remains under investigation, with no arrests reported so far. The animals were found because someone noticed an abandoned cage beside a rubbish bin and chose to seek help. That decision has now placed a suspected animal cruelty case before police and created an opportunity for authorities to establish what happened to the two hamsters.