Outraged Hong Kong animal rights groups and animal lovers have demanded answers from the Secretary for Justice Teresa Cheng, after the justice department decided not to prosecute two men who turned themselves in for allegedly abusing and killing 30 animals.

The Department of Justice cited a lack of evidence as the reason against prosecuting. Animal rights groups have slammed the explanation as unconvincing, condemning the government and the police for releasing suspects who committed such brutality on innocent animals. Community leaders and local residents weighed in, saying that they would crowdfund a campaign to demand the justice secretary to face the public.

A 49-year-old secondary school teacher and a 36-year-old merchant turned themselves in February for allegedly hurling 30 animals — including cats, rabbits, chinchillas, a guinea pig, parrot and rodent — from a high-rise residential building at the Hong Kong Garden housing estate near Sham Tseng in Tsuen Wan. The incident killed 18 animals, with 15 of them found dead at the scene. Three animals died at a veterinary hospital despite being rescued by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

The two men were arrested for cruelty to animals but months after the incident, the Department of Justice said on Wednesday that it did not find sufficient evidence to prosecute them. The decision was made based on “an objective and professional assessment,” the department said in a statement.

“The question lies in the fact that [the police] did not do their search thoroughly to collect evidence,” said Mark Mak, executive chair of the non-profit Making Veterinary Services Society. Animals must have left their hair or DNA at the place they resided, which should qualify as forensic evidence that would allow the department to initiate a criminal proceeding, he added.

The Secretary for Justice did not offer a reasonable explanation for not taking these two men to court, said Anthony Yeung, chair and founder of the Hong Kong Society of Herpetology Foundation. “We are furious,” he said, saying that the two men should be taken to court with the court to decide whether they have committed the crime. He said the foundation will discuss with its members about any follow-up actions.

Moon Tam, a district councilor and community officer of Tsuen Wan Rural District, said she arrived at the scene late at night and saw a shivering kitten hiding in the gutter after surviving the fall. The government had claimed that it would table a consultation to strengthen the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance last year but the failure to tackle this shocking incident revealed the questionable integrity of the government, Tam said.

Tsuen Wan District Councilor Martin Lau said he will move a motion at an upcoming meeting to demand the Secretary for Justice to give the community a proper explanation for the department’s decision.

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