### Animals (Control of Experiments) Ordinance 《動物(實驗管制)條例》

1. Short title
This Ordinance may be cited as the Animals (Control of Experiments) Ordinance.

2. Interpretation
In this Ordinance, unless the context otherwise requires—
academic institution (學術機構) includes universities, university colleges, hospitals, medical schools, agricultural colleges, farm schools, and any other similar institutions;
animal (動物) means a living vertebrate animal;
experiment (實驗) means any experiment performed on an animal and calculated to give pain;
licensee (持牌人) means a person licensed under section 7;
Licensing Authority (發牌當局) means the Director of Health. (Amended L.N. 76 of 1989)

3. Performance of experiments only by licensees
(1) No person except a licensee shall perform any experiment.
(2) No licensee shall perform any experiment except in accordance with the terms of his licence and subject to the restrictions imposed by this Ordinance.
(3) Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of an offence. (Added 12 of 1964 s. 2)

4. Prohibition against performing experiments to attain manual skill
(1) Except under and in accordance with an endorsement made under section 8, no licensee shall perform any experiment for the purpose of attaining manual skill. (Amended 12 of 1964 s. 3)
(2) Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of an offence. (Added 12 of 1964 s. 3)

5. Prohibition of performance of experiments for illustration of lectures except as specified in permit
(1) Except under and in accordance with a teaching permit issued under section 9, no licensee shall perform any experiment for the purpose of illustrating any lecture at any academic institution. (Amended 12 of 1964 s. 4)
(2) Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of an offence. (Added 12 of 1964 s. 4)

### Animals (Control of Experiments) Ordinance 《動物(實驗管制)條例》

6. Restrictions upon performance of experiments by licensee
(1) Except as otherwise provided in sections 4 and 5, no licensee shall perform any experiment except—
(a) for the purpose of the advancement by new discovery of physiological knowledge, or of any knowledge which will be useful for saving or prolonging life, or alleviating suffering, or for combating any disease whether of human beings, animals or plants;
(b) for the purpose of testing any former discovery alleged to have been made for the advancement of the types of knowledge referred to in paragraph (a);
(c) by the order in writing of any judge or district judge in any case where such judge is satisfied that it is essential for the purpose of justice in a criminal case to make such experiment.
(2) Except under and in accordance with and endorsement made under section 10, no licensee shall perform any experiment unless—
(a) throughout the whole of the experiment the animal is under the influence of some anaesthetic of sufficient power to prevent the animal feeling pain; and
(b) if the pain is likely to continue after the effect of the anaesthetic has ceased, or if any serious injury has been inflicted on the animal, the animal is killed before it recovers from the influence of the anaesthetic which has been administered.
(3) Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of this section shall be guilty of an offence. (Added 12 of 1964 s. 5)

7. Grant of licences
(1) The Licensing Authority may grant a licence to any person to perform any experiment for any purpose specified in such licence during such period and subject to such conditions, in addition to the conditions specified in this Ordinance, as he may think fit.
(2) It shall be a condition of any licence granted under subsection (1) that any experiment performed pursuant to such licence shall be performed at such place as may be specified in such licence.

8. Endorsements to enable performance of experiments for manual skill
Where the Licensing Authority is satisfied that it is desirable, he may, by endorsement of any licence, authorize the holder thereof to perform experiments for the purpose of attaining manual skill during such period and subject to such conditions as the Licensing Authority may think fit.

### Animals (Control of Experiments) Ordinance 《動物(實驗管制)條例》

9. Grant of permits
(1) Where the Licensing Authority is satisfied that it is absolutely necessary for the due instruction of persons attending any lectures for the purpose of acquiring physiological knowledge or any knowledge which will be used for saving or prolonging life, or alleviating suffering, or for combating any disease whether of human beings, animals or plants, for any such lecture to be illustrated by the performance of any experiment, the Licensing Authority may grant to a licensee a teaching permit to perform any experiment for the purpose of illustrating such lecture.
(2) Every teaching permit granted under subsection (1) shall be subject to such conditions, in addition to any conditions specified in this Ordinance, as may be specified in such permit, and such permit shall remain in force for 12 months from the date on which it is granted. (Amended E.R. 5 of 2022)

10. Endorsements to enable performance of experiments without anaesthetics, etc.
Where the Licensing Authority is satisfied that the object of any experiment or series of experiments permitted to be performed by a licensee would necessarily be frustrated—
(a) by the performance of such experiment under any anaesthetic; or
(b) by killing the animal on which such experiment is performed before it recovers from the influence of any anaesthetic,
he may, by endorsement of any licence, authorize the holder to perform such experiment or series of experiments without administering any anaesthetic to the animal or without killing the animal before it recovers from the influence of such anaesthetic, as the case may be, during such period and subject to such conditions as the Licensing Authority may think fit.

11. Duty to keep records and to permit inspections
(1) Every licensee shall keep, in such form as may be prescribed, records of all experiments performed by him.
(2) Every licensee shall permit any medical or health officer authorized in writing by the Licensing Authority for the purpose to inspect any records kept by him at any time between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. on any day other than a Sunday or public holiday.
(3) Every licensee shall permit any person authorized in writing as aforesaid to enter and inspect, for the purpose of securing compliance with the provisions of this Ordinance, any place specified in such licensee’s licence for the performance of experiments.
(4) Any person who contravenes the provisions of subsection (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine at level 1 and to imprisonment for 3 months. (Added 12 of 1964 s. 6. Amended E.R. 5 of 2022)