Around Lunar New Year 2025, two community cats in Mui Shue Hang Village, Tai Po, were found with severe injuries to their front legs. Hong Kong Animal Post reported that one cat, Chushi, was rescued and a veterinarian considered the wounds highly likely to have been caused by an animal trap; both front legs had to be amputated. Another injured cat could not be rescued and later disappeared. A later Now News feature also referred to the rescued cat from Mui Shue Hang Village, saying the trap injury forced an amputation to save its life.

Two cats appeared in the village, dragging wounded front legs

Hong Kong Animal Post reported that, around Lunar New Year 2025, villagers in Mui Shue Hang Village found two community cats with bleeding injuries to their front legs. They could not walk normally and had to drag themselves forward. Phoebe, founder of the rescue group Animal Friends, said one of them, Chushi, had previously been taken for desexing by villagers and was thought to be living safely in the area before the severe injury occurred.

Chushi was rescued and taken to a veterinary clinic. According to the report, the veterinarian considered the wounds highly likely to have been caused by an animal trap. Because both front legs were badly damaged, rescuers had to arrange amputation surgery. After surgery, Chushi was placed with a foster family and began learning how to move again with a changed body.

The other cat did not reach help in time

In the same village, another cat was also found with injured front legs. Public images showed abnormal injuries, but rescuers were not able to catch the cat in time. Hong Kong Animal Post reported that the cat later disappeared, and Phoebe said it may have died.

This kind of harm is especially cruel because an animal trap does not choose its target. It may catch a community cat, a stray dog, or any animal passing through the grass. Once caught, animals struggle in fear and pain; even those that break free may hide alone with fractures, torn tissue and infection. Chushi survived because rescuers and a foster home caught her in time. The fate of the other cat remains the heaviest silence in this case.

An animal trap is not management; it is an instrument of suffering

In the report, Phoebe said illegal animal traps had appeared in several Hong Kong districts in recent years, causing many community animals to be injured. Some rescued animals face lifelong disability, while others die alone from severe wounds. She said it was difficult to file a case without the physical trap, yet seeing cats and dogs permanently disabled by such devices was intolerable.

A Now News feature in April 2025 again mentioned the rescued cat from Mui Shue Hang Village. It said volunteer Law Wing-ka rescued the cat during Lunar New Year, and a veterinarian judged the injury to have been caused by a trap, requiring amputation to save the cat’s life. The feature also noted that suspected animal cruelty reports in Hong Kong had more than doubled over the past decade, while animal groups called for stronger deterrence.

Recording this keeps pain from becoming ordinary

A community cat was simply moving between familiar village paths, bushes and feeding spots. It could not know who had placed the metal trap, or why its front legs were suddenly taken from it. Chushi later learned to move with a kangaroo-like hop and tried to adapt to her new body. That resilience is moving, but it also makes the cruelty of the harm clearer.

This archive records the case because trap injuries are not an abstract matter of animal management. For each animal, they mean pain, blood loss, amputation, disappearance and possible death. Whatever reason a person gives for placing such a device, leaving it where animals may pass should never be treated lightly.

Public sources

• Hong Kong Animal Post report
• Yahoo News republication
• Now News feature mentioning the case