Our reply to the question raised by Dr Hon Elizabeth Quat is as follows: (5) of the total quantity of pre-Convention rhinoceros horn products registered in Hong Kong for commercial purposes as at the end of 2017? (4) of the total number of holders in Hong Kong of pre-Convention certificates for pre-Convention rhinoceros horn products as at the end of 2017 and (3) of the quantity of rhinoceros horn specimens seized in Hong Kong in the past five years and up to October this year, and among them, the respective quantities of rhinoceros (i) whole horns and (ii) horn cut pieces seized (2) as the authorities regularly dispose of seized ivory and pangolin scale specimens by incineration, whether they dispose of seized rhinoceros horn specimens by the same method if not, of the reasons for that and whether they will do so in future if they will not, of the reasons for that (i) how the law enforcement agencies can accurately determine the age of a rhinoceros horn product offered for sale in the market to ascertain that the product in question is indeed from a pre-Convention stock, and (ii) whether testimony of experts (from the antique industry and/or Chinese arts and crafts) of their visual identification has so far been admissible in court hearings concerning suspected illegal trading of rhinoceros horn products if so, of the number of such cases in which the persons concerned have been convicted if not, the reasons for that, and how the authorities can effectively enforce the ban on illegal trading of rhinoceros horn products radiocarbon-14 dating and DNA-testing) which involve removal of small parts from the artefacts for testing, (1) given that antique collectors generally object to the age of their valuable artefacts be ascertained by applying the current dating methods (e.g. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council: 586, products of those rhinoceros horns which had been acquired before the CITES provisions started to apply to rhinoceros (pre-Convention rhinoceros horns) are allowed to be commercially traded in Hong Kong only if such products are accompanied by a pre-Convention certificate issued by the export country. 586), through which the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is implemented in Hong Kong. The sale of rhinoceros horns and products (which may be in the form of libation cups, boxes, vessels, hairpins, etc) is regulated in Hong Kong under the Protection of Endangered Species of Animals and Plants Ordinance (Cap. Following is a question by Dr Hon Elizabeth Quat and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Wong Kam-sing, in the Legislative Council today (December 12):
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