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A member of the public suspected that during a walk, his dog had chewed on the packets of poisonous baits placed on a street by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (“FEHD”) for rodent control, and died of poisoning. The dog owner complained to FEHD and requested that all the packets of poisonous baits be replaced with bait boxes that dogs could not break by biting. The request was, however, turned down, and the dog owner made a complaint to this Office.

Our inquiry reveals that FEHD would assess the environment of a baiting point to determine which method of rodent disinfestation should be used, and it would follow the established guidelines and put up a notice at baiting points to inform the public about the administration of baits. Upon receipt of this complaint, FEHD re-assessed the baiting point and confirmed that use of bait boxes would be appropriate. Hence, FEHD promptly replaced all the bait packets on that street with bait boxes. In its staff training, FEHD would also advise that where the situation allows, bait boxes should be used.

As there are a park and a playground managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (“LCSD”) in the street concerned, FEHD approached LCSD and maintained communication with the latter after our intervention. Having assessed the environment of the baiting point, LCSD agreed that it was appropriate to use bait boxes instead of bait packets in the nearby park and playground.

This case demonstrates the departments’ willingness to accept opinions and advice and collaborate with one another to adopt new measures in a timely manner so as to reduce the risk of pets taking the poisonous baits accidentally.