巴西龜移英關注組 Hong Kong Sliders Immigrate To Great Britain Concern Group

19/10/2023

大家請留意，最近有不少朋友收到一間寵物移民公司聲稱可以運巴西龜入境英國。我地已經向英國相關NGO確認並無此事。佢16號同英國政府相談，政府態度仍然強硬。所以請大家要小心留意。唔好因為愛龜心切輕信謠言。

05/05/2023

提提大家，由於我地希望確保所有有需要既龜主填到表，我地會接收Questionnaire 到5月15日。要填就唔好猶豫快快手喇！
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeWjrGegtB-wDb-UWrwI7nst0J1iNEESUqrvVnv8eNY_nCIdg/viewform?fbclid=IwAR3ESss-raistLYREUYX08YxvFRrJR5QMssI3pR5Xvfs5ErPqNs6w_UWXRk

另外今日岩岩地方選舉完滿結束，大家記得check清楚之前send email / 寄信去個個MP仲有冇得做啊。冇既話請重新寄多次去。就好似版主咁，保守黨個位MP宣布埋退休，所以一定要重新寄去(Template 在下方，信裡面一定要寫完整地址同全名俾佢，如果唔係好可能會石沉大海），唔好傻等。謝謝大家支持！

link to find MP:
https://members.parliament.uk/members/Commons

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05/05/2023

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22/04/2023

大家好，有不少朋友問關於聯絡MP的方法。只要打你個postcode 去以下網址，佢會話你知你應該寫信去邊個MP度，同埋佢既聯絡方式。
https://members.parliament.uk/members/Commons

根據網上建議，一般有兩種。第一是寄信，也比較顯出有誠意。

郵寄既話，一律寄去呢個地址：
House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA
（記得寫明自己的地址俾佢地回覆）
第二是send email。

5月頭就有選舉，大家記得要趁呢個時間寄信，等佢地上心d同有動力去跟進。

Template就係樓下兩個post，大家一定要踴躍參加啊！MP有責任要同相關governor 提起呢件事。只要愈多MP和同一個部門，甚至係同一個governor提起，佢地就會了解到我地對呢件事既重視程度，作出認真跟進。謝謝！

p.s.如果有朋友未填問卷，請係5月1號之前填好，我地要整理交番俾NGO :)

15/04/2023

大家好，唔好意思因為版主復活節假後病咗幾日耽誤咗少少時間，寫俾MP既信既Attachment已經準備好。多謝大家踴躍支持。我地期待收到大家留言話俾我地知MP有咩回覆。

Attachment One:

There is an exemption available under a regulation for existing slider owners in the U.K.. According to Article 31(1) of REGULATION (EU) No 1143/2014 OF THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND OF THE COUNCIL, which refers to the keeping and transport of companion animals that were resident in the United Kingdom before the species listing.

Article 31

Transitional provisions for non-commercial owners

1. By way of derogation from points (b) and (d) of Article 7(1), owners of companion animals not kept for commercial purposes that belong to the invasive alien species included on the Union list shall be allowed to keep them until the end of the animals' natural life, provided the following conditions are met:

(a) the animals were kept before their inclusion on the Union list;

(b) the animals are kept in contained holding and all appropriate measures are put in place to ensure that reproduction or escape are not possible.

2. Competent authorities shall take all reasonable steps to inform non-commercial owners of the risks posed by keeping the animals referred to in paragraph 1 and of the measures to be taken to minimise the risk of reproducing and escaping through awareness-raising and education programmes organised by Member States.

3. Non-commercial owners who cannot ensure that the conditions set out in paragraph 1 are met, shall not be permitted to keep the animals concerned. Member States may offer them the possibility of having their animals taken from them. Where this occurs, due regard to animal welfare shall be given.

4. The animals referred to in paragraph 3 of this Article may be kept by the establishments referred to in Article 8 or in facilities established by Member States for that purpose.

Related link: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=celex%3A32014R1143

The officials we contacted agree that such species are allowed to be raised in the U.K., they however opined that it shall not apply to the introduction of a listed species in the U.K. from any other countries. We nonetheless disagree. Under the BNO Visa program, our group of Hong Kong people are also considered as U.K. residents. Therefore, we have every reason to believe that such exemption should also be available to us under the assumption that we are being equally and fairly treated.

===============================================

Attachment Two:

Please find below reply from CITES official regarding to our request.

While officials claimed “These escaped or released individuals eat native flora and fauna, causing damage to the ecosystem”, they could not point out exactly which local plants / animals in the U.K. are at risk because of the sliders. Flora and fauna is an overly wide accusation if it is convincing at the least extent. We request a more specific species being at risk because of the sliders to start a meaningful conversation.

There is indeed no evidence that slider turtles Trachemys scripta are significantly injurious to biodiversity in the UK. The situation in southern Europe is clearly very different, the species can reproduce, extend its range, and outcompete native species. In the U.K. we know the species can survive, but there is no evidence they can reproduce and little to no evidence that those that do survive negatively impact biodiversity.

07/04/2023

各位復活節快樂！以下是寄信MP的範本，反映我們的意見，最重要是等多D政界人士知道我地既訴求。由於MP只會理會該區既市民既事務，敬請已經係英國既巴西龜主人多多支持，係假復活節後寄出。歡迎大家按情況和喜好自行加減內容。過幾星期後如無回覆可以再跟進（我地都會出一封跟進Template)。信裡面講既Attachment稍後會出，敬請留意。謝謝。

From Resident of ### (Postcode: ### ### and Full Address)

To Honorable Sir/Madam ###X, MP (請確認你的MP 用咩title）

I am writing on behalf of a group of Hong Kong people who plan to or have recently immigrated to the U.K., through the BNO Visa program. Based on two surveys we have done, there are over 100 concerned families with around 200 Sliders. I am writing to you because I know you truly care about local residents and we are exhausted in other ways. There are growing amount of immigrants from Hong Kong as residents in our living area in recent years so this matter becomes more and more urgent to be solved.

All of us have been keeping red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) or yellow-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta scripta) (“Sliders”) as our home pet in Hong Kong for many years and wish to bring our sliders along to the UK as part of the family. When we contacted the related U.K. government authority trying to understand the related import criteria, sadly, we were advised that the import of sliders had been banned with no concession ground under the E.U. Invasive Alien Species (IAS) Regulation (03/08/2016)(“Regulation”) in December 2019. Despite that the U.K. has already had the Brexit, the Regulation still applies.

Due to the Regulation, our plans to move with the Sliders have been disrupted. We have been contacting various government departments and NGOs in the U.K. from 2020 till now with a hope to find a solution. To our greatest disappointment, our requests were not listened seriously throughout the past 4 years.
Probably in the eyes of them, or to U.K. culture in general, sliders are less common family pets when compared with dogs, cats and rabbits. This is a culture difference we hope to be respected. To many Asian families, they are our important family members. Many of them have been with us for decades since they were baby turtles, some families have spent more than 30 or even 40 years with their sliders. The bonding is deeply strong.

While we fully respect the rules and regulations of the U.K, we are exploring every possibility of concession allowance for old domestic pets based on humane reasons. There is concession for U.K. based domestic sliders (details attached) but no ground is made for immigrants' sliders, with the main reason given as the sliders being possible to escape. Chance of sliders to escape is equally the same for domestic turtles and newly immigrated turtles. Thus, we can't help to believe that, we are being unfairly treated.

The Director of the National Centre of Reptile Welfare, Mr Chris Newman, has already offered to help with the logistics for us bringing along our sliders to the U.K. He will help the micro-chip and registration. We all need to sign an agreement that, in case we need to rehome our sliders in the future, we must surrender our sliders to the centre. We are also willing to pay licence fee and be monitored regularly to make sure that our sliders are still with us. In other words, we would not bother any authorities and the wildlife is 100% protected.

We would unreservedly welcome a full and frank discussion on the key concerns raised by the government officials but for the past 4 years, this opportunity remains pending. We are unsure of how to proceed. Providing more flexibility on setting regulations, especially on a reasonable and humane base, should definitely be a strength of Brexit as promoted by the government. In this circumstance unfortunately, the authority does not seem to make the best use of its autonomy.

Thank you for taking your precious time to listen to our difficult situation. We sincerely hope that you understand the importance of this matter to us and would be most grateful if you could look into this matter. In particular, may you consider to convey our message and explain our situation to the relevant authorities, for instance Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Natural England, for a serious negotiation with affected Hong Kong BN(O) Holders?

If you need more information, please do not hesitate to let me know. Thank you very much for your time and attention. I am looking forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

###

03/04/2023

大家好，真的很抱歉有接近一年的時間，我地冇更新過任何有關爭取巴西龜隨主人來英既消息。甚至有朋友PM我地問，個page係咪已經停止營運。其實我地冇一刻放棄過，期間版主都有經常Text message 同打電話問NGO 最新近況，但National Centre For Reptile Welfare 既負責人Chris 始終好忙，唔係好覆機。所以我地係2022年7月，11月同埋今年3月尾（即係上個星期二）都有親自去到Tunbridge 搵Chris傾最新進展。好可惜，目前為止經歷過兩個 Natural England既 governor，已退休既一個無理由拒絕我地既請求，最近新上任既就冇回覆。

重整旗鼓後，我地決定要改變策略。黎得英國一段時間我地發現，如果好聲好氣想私底下解決問題，係好困難，因為政府既人唔想做多咗野。私下直接拒絕唔駛俾理由又方便。所以要處理到件事，我地就要更加公開透明地爭取，日鵝夜鵝式咁講，好似護士擺工咁，都係要持續咁講先可以。

由於對上一次做問卷已經過咗超過一年時間，相信依家有唔少朋友既狀況已經唔同咗。例如已經黎到英國既朋友，你地既龜龜是否俾人暫托緊？你仲想唔想帶到佢黎？我地好希望寫信俾唔同MP吸引關注，等大家起碼知有件咁既一回事，影響到好多香港黎既移民。但一定要住係個區既人寫信，個MP先會理。所以，可以請已到英國既朋友幫手寄信嗎？我地稍後會根據之前Case study既資料Send email逐一請求。

另外，Chris 都好想知依家最新確切有幾多隻巴西龜想黎英國，影響緊幾多個家庭。因為佢向政府保證，如果香港移民因為任何原因唔想再養隻龜，佢會無條件接收。所以佢需要衡量中心容納程度。

我地會出番本身個份問卷，已填既朋友唔需要再填，我地只係想俾未填但想加入既朋友填寫。

如果一年前你已經填過form，依家情況有變唔再希望帶隻龜來，請你inbox我地，我地會係case study為你除名；如果一年前你已填過form，依家你已經黎到英國但仲想帶龜過黎，請你inbox我地你所屬區既MP，我地會有一封template可以俾你參考寄去俾MP，希望多D政府官員知有呢個問題。如果冇inbox 我地既朋友，我地會當你一年前同依家情況一樣，咁我地就會keep 住你個Case 報告上去。

以下係填form既link，想填既朋友請係5 月1號之前填好，之後我地會整合再俾英國環境部官員，APHA, Natural England參考，謝謝。

如果對份form有咩問題歡迎係下面留comment

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