8:30am-9:15am: proposed citywide ban on the feeding of wild animals

8:30am-9:00am: Dr Howard Wong, Director for Development of Veterinary Medicine at City University’s Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences

8:30am-9:15am: Hannah Mumby, Assistant Professor, School of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, HKU

9:00am-9:15am: Jeremy Young, Central and Western District Councillor 

9:15am-9:30am: new dinosaur exhibition at the Science Museum

9:15am-9:30am: Paulina Chan, Museum Director of the Hong Kong Science Museum 

On Thursday's Backchat, we're going to talk about the government's plan to expand a ban on the feeding of wild animals to cover all of Hong Kong, and introduce tougher penalties for offenders.
Officials say the feeding of wild boars has contributed to the animals becoming a nuisance in urban areas, and the current maximum penalty of HK$10,000 for offenders should be increased tenfold to HK$100,000 as a deterrent. Those who breach the law would also face jail terms of up to one year.
Currently, the feeding ban only covers specific areas such as country parks, but the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance will be amended to expand that to all areas within Hong Kong.
So, what do you think? Will increasing the penalty for feeding wild animals and expanding its coverage work? What else can be done to minimise unwanted interactions between people and wild animals?
After 9:15, we will look ahead to the new dinosaur exhibition at the Science Museum that will kick off this Friday.