Many animals residing at the Wild Animal Rescue Centre (WARC) entered Hong Kong illegally or were under the illegal possession of local residents. Many specimens were seized by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), and transferred to our facility for temporary care. We provide health checks, medical treatment and appropriate husbandry whilst legal actions and investigations are undertaken by the authorities and the law courts. We also help to find a safe place for these animals to live once the legal case is closed: some are repatriated to their countries of origin, but many are rehomed to other conservation organisations.
Whereas most seized goods of illicit trade can simply be placed in storage facilities, ‘storage’ of confiscated wildlife requires ongoing consideration of animal welfare and ethical issues, and continuous input of resources and expertise. Beyond their financial value to the criminal and their legal value as court evidence, seized wildlife can also have conservation value to the survival of their species. In addition, while an individual animal may have all this value to other parties, it also has its own individual welfare needs that must be met. Decision-making for these animals is therefore complex.
Please click the images to view more information:
Read more:
- Wildlife Crime: Case Study Post seizure care and repatriation costs for a consignment of Indonesian Pig-nosed Turtles (Carettochelys insculpta) (pdf, 0.98 MB)
- Trading in Extinction -- The Dark Side of Hong Kong's Wildlife Trade (pdf, 4.90 MB)
- Critically endangered turtles leave their temporary home at Kadoorie Farm
- Marmosets go on exhibit at the Sun Garden
- Fauna Conservation Reports & Publications
- KFBG Blogs: Animal Stories