Mainland Chinese Tourist Fined HK$5,000 for Feeding Pigeons in Hong Kong; Questions the Rule: “We Can Feed Them Freely in China”

(Hong Kong, 23rd)
A Chinese tourist using the handle “Xiaopangdou Visits Hong Kong Weekly” recently wrote on Xiaohongshu that she was fined HK$5,000 (about RM2,676) for feeding wild pigeons during her trip to Hong Kong. She expressed dissatisfaction and repeatedly questioned, “Why can’t we feed them? In China, you can feed pigeons freely!”

The fine notice she uploaded clearly states that she violated Hong Kong’s Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Cap. 170), which prohibits feeding wild animals, including pigeons.

The woman wrote, “I did something very naïve in Hong Kong…” and continued asking in the comments, “Why is feeding not allowed? In China, it’s totally fine!”

Hong Kong amended the Ordinance over a year ago, officially banning the feeding of wild pigeons. Under the law, offenders may face a maximum fine of HK$100,000 and one year of imprisonment. The legislation also includes a fixed penalty of HK$5,000 for on-the-spot violations.

Many netizens criticized her lack of awareness:
“Different places have different laws,”
“This rule has been implemented for over a year,”
Some even mocked her account name, saying she doesn’t seem to “visit Hong Kong weekly” as claimed.

However, some netizens agreed with her, commenting that the fine was too harsh:
“They should issue a warning for first-time offenders,”
“Why exactly is feeding not allowed?”

Hong Kong Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) Senior Veterinary Officer Dr. Ho Hon-Pong explained that large gatherings of urban pigeons cause hygiene issues and traffic hazards. Pigeons remain in the city mainly because people continue to feed them; once feeding stops, the pigeons naturally disperse. This was the reason behind last year’s amendment.

According to AFCD’s commissioned monitoring project, conducted across 18 districts and 822 observation locations, the number of wild pigeons has dropped significantly since the rule change.

Findings show:

• Q4 last year: about 13,520 pigeons
• Q1 this year: reduced to about 12,090 (a 10.6% decrease)

Locations where feeding or leftover food was found also fell to just 30, down nearly 20%.

The data confirms that reducing food sources directly reduces pigeon gatherings.