COWS...
Love 'em or Hate 'em!
When Austin Coates wrote about them in his book, Myself a Mandarin: Memoirs of a Special Magistrate, they were still an integral part of rural life for countless villagers in the New Territories. His first case in 1949 involved a divorce case which centred on, not the children but custody of the family cow.
Things have changed. The majority of the people that Coates got to know during his tenure in the New Territories left for the UK or North America in the 60s and 70s and few of their children have returned to their ancestral homes. The cows (or, according to the AFCD's “Field Guide to the Terrestrial Mammals of Hong Kong ” - domestic oxen) - are now feral.
For many of the current residents of Sai Kung, the presence of cows along the roadsides and in the fields around their villages adds to the unique ambience of life in Sai Kung. They revel in the tranquil scenes of the co-existence of man and beast, watching as the calves are born, and feeling a mild attachment to the herd that grazes around their village.
Other residents and visitors find the cows a nuisance, both on the roads and around their gardens. They stomp on their plants and eat their vegetables and their habit of lying on the roads slows down the traffic flow. They complain to AFCD and the animals are (apparently at random) darted with tranquilizer and brought into their Animal Management Centre. Their capture is “Gazetted” for 14 days (to give their rightful owners an opportunity to show proof of ownership and collect them) and then they are auctioned off to the one slaughterhouse and meat processing facility in HK. The meat is used for cat and dog food and the hide, horns, hooves, etc. for multiple other products.
A group of concerned Sai Kung citizens, under the auspices of the Sai Kung Association, have begun researching the status of these cattle, their numbers and habits in our district, and the current and developing government policies relating to them. We’ll be reporting more over the next few weeks and months.
Do you have a herd near you? Whatever position you hold - please send us an email if you would be interested in being involved.
Also - let us know what your position is, even if you don't want to help. We'll pass your comments and suggestions onto those concerned (anonymously if so requested) to help the group understand residents' and visitors' feelings on this issue.