Turtle terror! Why Hong Kong should embrace its wild side

Some 2,000 years ago, Hong Kong was part of a great tropical broad-leaf forest that was home to elephants, tigers, red dogs and a huge variety of tropical species.

With about 40 per cent of our territory designated as country park, and with many of our threatened species protected by government ordinance, it might be assumed that Hongkongers would be very comfortable with their wild side. The reality, of course, is more complicated.

While many of us are aware of the hazards presented by snakes and poisonous centipedes, few are familiar with the 50 or so species of wild mammal that call Hong Kong home. According to Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) surveys, eight types of mammal are ranked as species of conservation concern in Hong Kong: five species of bat as well as the crab-eating mongoose, the Chinese pangolin and the Eurasian otter.

Despite what ecologists call "massive human impacts" and habitat destruction, the crab-eating mongoose, which was thought to be extinct in the 1960s, is making a comeback and the small Asian mongoose and the yellow-bellied weasel have been recorded locally for the first time, perhaps having fled habitats in Guangdong province. Hong Kong can also boast that the East Asian porcupine, Muntjac (barking deer), masked palm civet, small Indian civet, rhesus macaque, Chinese ferret badger and leopard cat are all relatively abundant, along with a colourful host of amphibians, birds, reptiles and invertebrates.

Sadly, though, few Hongkongers appear to attach much value to this wonderful range of wild fauna and, for most urban dwellers, the concept of biodiversity is more likely to cause panic than fascination. Last month, when a wild boar strayed from its rural habitat into a Chai Wan shopping mall, it caused public mayhem, followed by a police stand-off more reminiscent of a terrorist attack than a wildlife rescue. Last summer, when a small harmless shark was spotted by a member of the public off Lamma Island, helicopters were scrambled and armed officers on police boats rushed to the scene, ready to shoot on sight. During the infamous 2001 Kowloon monkey chase, a four-year-old male rhesus macaque went on the run in downtown Tsim Sha Tsui. Media reported that it took police and AFCD officers more than two days to track down the crafty primate, which even caught the Star Ferry to evade its pursuers.