Flowers and fury for cattle killed on roads
Memorial on Lantau for the eight victims of last year's hit and run calls for speed cameras, amid claims 17 cattle killed by motorists this year
Flowers and incense yesterday marked the spot where eight feral cows were killed in a hit-and-run accident on Lantau a year earlier - with a steady stream of people dropping by the memorial to voice their anger at the government's failure to stop traffic endangering the island's wildlife.
So far this year, at least 17 more cattle have been killed on Lantau's roads, according to animal welfare campaigner Dina Yang.
Jacqui Green, from the Protection of Animals Lantau South, said: "If you choose to live on Lantau, you have to accept that there are snakes, cows and mosquitoes. If you want to live on Lantau, you learn to live with them."
She said speeding cars, buses and motorcycles were the biggest cause of death of the island's feral cattle, but the government had done nothing to solve the issue since the hit and run at the Upper Cheung Sha Beach section of South Lantau Road last June.
Green, whose organisation has been looking out for cattle in the area since 1998, added: "It's been a year and nothing has been done to curb the reckless speeding and terrible driving habits."
Sarah Wilson, a 49-year-old British quantity surveyor, was last month fined HK$5,000 for failing to give information to the police regarding who had been driving her car at the time of the accident after her car was found nearby with animal fur caught in the damaged bumper.
Her defence counsel claimed there was no evidence the car was involved in the accident or was even on the road at the time.