The basic sequence in this incident:
- A woman saw horseshoe crabs outside a restaurant being taunted by tourists
- She politely asked the restauranteur to please put the animals back into a tank to avoid it been hurt.
- An argument ensued.
- Unfortunately someone decided to show who was boss by jumping on top of one the horseshoe crabs.
- The woman was arrested after trying to rescue the remaining horseshoe crab.
The following video from YouTube shows horseshoe crabs and the unfortunate and abusive way that they are used by restauranteurs to attract customers.
This particular unfortunate incident illustrates the cruelty of the restaurant trade to marine animals. With withnesses this behaviour could have been reported under the cruelty to animals ordinance, however it wasn’t possible in this case. Reports can be made to 1823, the government hotline number. The display of horseshoe crabs onto pavements outside restaurants is more difficult to stop under current laws. Potentially it is an illegal use of public space. Judy is exploring what can be done in this area.
Horseshoe crabs are fascinating animals, pretty much unchanged for 445 million years, they are actually not crabs at all and are more closely related to scorpions and spiders. They are rare in Hong Kong waters and only found in a few areas. So please don’t consume them or frequent restaurants that abuse this wonderful creature.
However ultimately even though this species are listed on the AFCD website as deserving conservation (click HERE to access AFCD website) they are not protected by law in Hong Kong. Living Seas Hong Kong is working on getting endangered marine animals protected under the “Protection of Wild Animals Ordinance”, a campaign that is still running its course.
Comments are welcome.