Two tenants of a village house in Yuen Long have been taken into police custody, after their neighbours reported that a suspected dog pelt was being dried at the entrance of their house in Yan Sau Wai.
At 1:30pm yesterday, a netizen uploaded photos of the skin to an animal group on Facebook, asking if people could ascertain what kind of pelt it was.
Apple Daily reports that police visited the house shortly afterwards, but said the skin appeared to be imitation fur, and left after finding nobody home.
At 6pm, police officers returned to the house with SPCA personnel, and found two Filipina tenants. At the moment, police say they do not know who the owner of the house is, and have taken the two Filipina tenants into the station for questioning.
Villagers told Apple Daily that stray dogs were rumoured to be mysteriously disappearing from the area, while others reported hearing dogs howling in the middle of the night.
They also claimed to have previously seen furs being dried at the house on multiple occasions, and that this particular pelt had been hanging to dry for three days.
A spokesperson for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said they have yet to confirm what kind of animal the fur came from, and are apparently investigating whether the skin was illegally imported. According to the Rabies Ordinance, anyone trying to import dog or cat furs must first turn the pelts into the AFCD.
The Dogs and Cats Ordinance prohibits the slaughter of dogs and cats and the use of their flesh (either for consumption or to sell).
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