Police have arrested a 50-year-old construction worker on suspicion of abusing a stray dog that was found with a large gash on its right cheek over the weekend.
Speaking to reporters last night, inspector Wong Hoi-chung from the border district’s crime squad said that police had received a report of suspected animal cruelty on Saturday, and arrested a man surnamed Fung in Lok Ma Chau at 4pm on Monday. They are still investigating a motive for the alleged crime.
Police also seized from the suspect a pair of boots and a sickle.
The stray dog in question is a 2-year-old mutt who often roamed She Leng village in Lok Ma Chau, where villagers would often feed him scraps of food.
Ming Pao reports the dog was found on Wednesday night by a villager named Wing with part of his cheek hanging off his face due to a horrendous gash. Photos circulating online show the cut went from the dog’s right eye to his nose.
Wing took the dog to a private veterinary clinic in Yuen Long to have his cheek stitched back together. A few days later, Wing decided to formally adopt the dog, and named him “Sai Lo,” a term of endearment that literally translates to “kid,” or “kiddo.”
The newspaper reports that following a check-up yesterday, the vet said that Sai Lo was recovering, and that his stitches could come out in about six days, but that there was some lingering tissue damage in the wound. At the moment Sai Lo is only able to consume liquids.
Under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, the maximum penalty for animal cruelty is a fine of HK$200,000 (US$26,000) and three years in jail.
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