A meeting aimed at ending the long-running battle over the fate of roaming cattle on Lantau looks to have been a success, with government officials saying they have no intention of killing or relocating the animals.
Officials of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department - often caught in the middle of a fight between opposing sides of the dispute over the fate of 14 wild cows and three buffalo - called a meeting on Friday morning to thrash out a solution.
Representatives from various non-government organisations, the Mui Wo Rural Committee and Islands District Council were invited to attend.
Many residents of Mui Wo, where the animals make their home, consider the beasts to be a special part of the community.
But community leaders have raised concerns, such as the risk of vehicles hitting the wandering beasts and the trails of excrement the animals leave behind.
"At the moment, we have no plan to relocate the cattle but will carry out [a] desexing operation to control their population," a spokeswoman for the agriculture department said. "We will also continue to work closely with other relevant departments to handle the complaints and nuisance caused by stray cattle."