In Hong Kong, mourning a stray dog killed in mainland China means walking a fine line

In Hong Kong's bustling Causeway Bay, a procession of people carrying umbrellas and flowers gathered outside a commercial building. They waited in the rain, hoping to pay their respects to a stray dog named Wang Wang, who had been killed by five boys in mainland China. The 26-year-old Brian from Guangzhou had traveled across the border to attend the funeral, having heard about it from social media.

Wang Wang and her three puppies had been tortured and killed on June 28 in a village in Guangdong province by five boys under the age of 14. Videos of the incident, which have since been removed from Chinese social media, showed the boys beating the dogs with sticks and dousing Wang Wang with fuel before setting her on fire. The incident sparked outrage in Hong Kong, with billboards funded by ordinary Chinese people appearing in New York's Times Square and around Taipei 101 skyscraper.

Despite these efforts, Hong Kong society has been navigating a boundary when it comes to animal welfare advocacy. Under the police surveillance, mourners laid flowers outside a small Buddhist temple on the 23rd floor. The organizer of the funeral had also pulled out of an interview, while the entrance of the building was guarded by plainclothes police officers and a Thai boxing gym had removed a banner of Wang Wang.

The incident highlights the challenges faced by animal welfare advocates in Hong Kong, who are often restricted in their ability to express their views and advocate for change.