Hong Kong host of exotic pet expo charged over endangered species

The owner of a Hong Kong reptile education center, who is co-hosting a major wildlife expo for children, has been charged with the illegal possession of endangered species, local authorities said Wednesday.

Alvin Wong Ho-hin, owner of Nature Herpetology Education, was scheduled to appear at the Eastern Magistrates' Courts on Tuesday but failed to show.

A representative from Nature Herpetology told Reuters that Wong was absent from court due to Type A influenza, but the representative did not respond to further requests for comment.

The case dates back to 2022, when AFCD officers seized several live endangered animals from an exhibition at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The seized animals included a green iguana, a Spencer's monitor (a protected Australian lizard species), a golden coin turtle, and a taxidermied African grey parrot. Spencer's monitors are banned from commercial trade in Hong Kong.

The city's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department told Reuters that a 29-year-old local man was charged in August under suspicion of illegally possessing a live Spencer's monitor and a taxidermied African grey parrot.

Wong's company, which conducts school outreach and exotic animal education programs, is co-hosting the Exotic Pets World expo at Hopewell Mall in Wan Chai from July 25 to August 18.

Wong previously worked at the local animal charity HK Herp, which aims to prevent cruelty to reptiles and amphibians. He resigned on January 24, 2018, after the organization announced on Facebook that a batch of animals, including some endangered species, had been stolen from its center.

-Reporting by Farah Master; Editing by Jan Harvey/Reuters