HK subway apologizes for death of stray dog

A Hong Kong subway operator issued an online apology amid outcry from animal rights activists and the public for hitting a stray dog that wandered onto its tracks.

Outraged residents slammed local subway operator MTR over the weekend for not choosing to save the dog, which died on the city's East Rail Line on Wednesday.

"You made every passenger an accomplice to murder because of your decision," Lillian Lai, a campaigner, commented on Facebook.

Hundreds of mourners left offerings of flowers and incense at Fanling Station, where the dog was struck. MTR operators issued the statement after an online petition collected nearly 65,000 signatures by Thursday afternoon. "I'm most angry about how the MTR handled the situation. This could've been avoided, but they did not value life," petitioner Eleanor Yuen Chan-lai told the South China Morning Post.

The subway operator also acknowledged that it was an "unfortunate incident" and "MTR supports animal protection" in the statement.

While some Sina Weibo users applauded the bravery of Hong Kong's animal lovers, an online poll conducted by sina.com on Sunday showed that about 70 percent of the 4,934 respondents felt protesters were "overreacting."

"If they respect the lives of animals, they would not eat chickens, fish, ducks, pork, and so on," posted Net user "Zhufengbugao."