Hikers asked to file 'missing' cow reports
Concern groups are enlisting the help of hikers to find and report on cattle moved from their traditional roaming grounds by the government. The groups claim some of the cattle are struggling to adapt to their new environments after being moved in a bid to reduce nuisance to local residents.
Concern groups are enlisting the help of hikers to find and report on cattle moved from their traditional roaming grounds by the government.
The Friends of Mui Wo Cattle and the Association for Tai O Environment and Development say the animals' health has worsened and want hikers to report to them if they see cattle wandering the countryside.
At the centre of the controversy was the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department's move in November to relocate 29 of the wandering cows and bulls in Sai Kung to Shek Pik, southern Lantau, and 21 of those wandering around on Lantau to High Island, Sai Kung.
Seeman Ho, chairwoman of the Friends of Mui Wo Cattle, criticised the department for failing to consult the group in advance.
"We have been kept in the dark until recently when some of our members learned from friends that some oxen originally on Lantau were seen in Sai Kung," she said.
Ho Pui-han, of the Association for Tai O Environment and Development, said the department was, in effect, torturing the animals.