Every Buddha's birthday, many good believers will release their lives and pray for blessings and accumulate merit. Today (26th) morning, there was a seafood stall specializing in "release" business, this morning (<>th) there was Shanxin took his children to the pier to buy seafood for release, fishmongers received "instructions" to put seafood on the slide and send it out to sea, but the scale of release was less than in previous years, because some Shanxin in order to avoid the impact of media reports, changed to take a boat to the sea center to release, the release species also changed, some people switched to release Sabah dragons. Some animal concern organizations distributed leaflets to educate the public that releasing animals will only lead to the death of animals and even affect the marine ecology.

North Point Pier has seafood documents that specialize in the "release" business. (Photo by Huang Weimin)

North Point Pier has always been a release spot, and reporters came to observe the release of Buddha's birthday this morning. As I saw at the scene, there were fewer good letters coming to release animals than in previous years, but sporadically there were people who entered the seafood stalls specializing in the release business to buy seafood for release. It is known that in order to avoid the influence of media reports, some of the good believers took boats to the sea center to release their animals. After buying seafood, a family will personally pick up the seafood and release it on the slide, and the fishmonger will also help pour the seafood on the slide and send it out to sea, including fish, clams, crabs, etc.

Ms. Chan, who is in her fourth and fifth year of releasing animals, brought her two daughters to the event today and spent HK$4,5 to buy sea snakes, crabs, mud cerein, octopus and other seafood for release. When asked by the reporter if she was worried that there would be problems after the released seafood fell into the sea, Ms. Chen frankly said that she did not seek merit, but released the fish based on kindness, and then the owner of the seafood stall came to the scene and chanted "Amitabha Buddha" a few times, and then pulled Ms. Chen away.

Ms. Chan brought her two daughters to the scene and spent HK$2000,<> to buy seafood for release. (Photo by Huang Weimin)

Mr Wong Lang-yan, an officer of the Hong Kong Amphibian and Herpetic Association, made a special trip to distribute leaflets to educate the public not to release animals indiscriminately. He said that every year on Buddha's birthday, the Association conducts public education at different hotspots, including Kwun Yin Wan and North Point Pier in Tuen Mun, and has observed that many people release Brazilian turtles, tiger-striped frogs (i.e. field chickens), horseshoe crabs and clams, and in recent years, many people release Sabah dragon horns. Huang Langyan continued to point out that there are often people standing on the pier stakes waiting in the release hotspot, and when Shanxin releases the animals, they will immediately pick up the seafood and put it back in the box, "Is it a business, or is it really an animal?" I'm sure everyone will have analytical skills."

Huang Langyan explained that the released animals fall into the sea and cannot survive without food and space. The association has previously received a batch of released Brazilian turtles, whose backs are covered with red paint, have a large number of parasites, respiratory problems, a weak immune system, and a survival rate of less than 50%. Huang also pointed out that some animals can pollute local marine gene banks and disrupt the food chain; In addition, they may carry foreign bacteria and viruses, which will also affect marine ecology.

Mr Wong Lang-yan, Officer of the Hong Kong Amphibian and Reptile Association, came today to distribute leaflets to educate the public not to release animals indiscriminately. (Photo by Huang Weimin)

Huang Langyan respects everyone's religious beliefs, but hopes that some religious practices will not take precedence over animal welfare. He has also communicated with fishmongers and religious groups in the past to understand their original intentions, and has also distributed leaflets with real photos and cases of liberation leading to the death of animals, "but they will think that even if [animals] die, they will tie up a good place."

Wong Lang Yan suggested that the Government should do more public education and review relevant legislation, there is currently no law to regulate the release of animals in Hong Kong, but there are laws in the Mainland, Macau, Taiwan, Singapore and New York in the United States, and even consider that licensed bodies can release animals, and the inspection procedures may reduce animal injuries.