Part 4/12:
Journalists traced a pattern: cages of dead animals washed ashore, and clandestine markets selling pets at prices far below legal rates. A typical pet in licensed stores can cost thousands of US dollars, but unregulated markets offer them for mere hundreds—an irresistible lure for profit-driven traffickers.
The Complex Web of Smuggling Routes
Hong Kong’s geographic features make enforcement challenging. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, with hundreds of islands, it’s historically been a hotspot for smuggling and piracy. Traffickers exploit this geography, using remote islands as hiding spots and conducting covert crossings into mainland China, where tariffs and regulations are less strict than in Hong Kong.