The water buffalo play an important role in South Lantau life.
They need our help and we need your help to help them.
The Agriculture, Fisheries & Conservation Department (AFCD) is currently carrying out a program to eradicate all the buffalo on Lantau Island.
Under the guise of “animal management”, the AFCD is castrating all males and spaying all fertile females, effectively preventing any future breeding.
Your voice can make a difference—if enough people speak up, we can push the AFCD to be transparent about their actions and policies and align them with the interests with the stated policy of the government and the broader community.
ADD YOUR VOICE
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Last week, Dr Jason Chan and his team castrated one of the last two remaining intact males from the Chi Ma Wan herd.
“The important thing to understand is the later you wait in life to castrate the greater the stress is going to be.” The American Hereford Association
Today, they returned to castrate the last remaining male, though they were unsuccessful
“Castration at a young age minimizes hazards. Hazards include sickness or death of calves following castration at an older age” ontario.ca
They plan to spay or remove a fertile female who gave birth last month, along with her calf.
99% of the females have been spayed.
“Spaying of cattle should be a restricted act of veterinary science. Animals must be assessed by the veterinarian to be sufficiently healthy to undergo a procedure.” Australia Veterinary Association
Through un-managed sterilization, the Mui Wo herd no longer has any breeding pairs.
Without intervention, the herd populations will collapse within the next few years due to lack of reproduction.
If you care about the future of Lantau’s buffalo and Hong Kong’s biodiversity, please take a few minutes to send the email below to the recipients in the list provided.
Your voice can make a difference—if enough people speak up, we can push the AFCD to be transparent about their actions and policies and align them with the interests with the stated policy of the Government and the broader community.
Act now
Simply click this email link to open a new message and the To and CC will be completed with the email addresses and the body will be ready with the text below.
***IMPORTANT NOTE: Please remember to add your full name to the bottom of the message or your email will not be processed.
Suggested Email Text:
To: tellme@1823.gov.hk | SMS 6163 1823 | app
Cc: see@eeb.gov.hk, bi_dan@afcd.gov.hk, ceo@ceo.gov.hk
Subject: Request for Transparency Regarding the Management of Buffalo Herds on South Lantau
I am writing to request transparency regarding the current policy concerning the buffalo herds on South Lantau, as managed by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD).
On March 5, 2024, Dr. Ho Chin-ho, Kenny, acting on behalf of the Director of the AFCD, stated in a letter to LegCo member Dr. Hon Tik Chi-yuen that:
“AFCD has been implementing the Capture-Sterilize-Relocate (CSR) program to control the number of stray cattle by sterilizing them, so as to minimize the nuisance caused by them to the public and the public safety risk posed by them, and to ensure that they can co-exist harmoniously with the public.”
However, despite this assurance, Dr. Jason Chi Ching Chan from the Animal Management Operations Division has been conducting multiple sterilization operations to prevent further breeding. Dr. Chan has informed local residents that, according to his department head, Dr. Denise Dan BI, the policy is to either remove or neuter all remaining buffalo.
Local residents and animal advocacy groups have repeatedly sought clarification from the AFCD on how this policy aligns with the official government stance. Unfortunately, all inquiries have been met with refusal or insufficient responses.
Furthermore, as noted by the Director of the AFCD on March 5, 2024:
“The Department regularly engages consultants to conduct surveys on stray cattle on South Lantau Island. The Department’s Cattle Management Team also conducts frequent inspections on South Lantau Island and has a good understanding of the number, distribution, and scope of activities of stray cattle on South Lantau Island.”
Despite this, the AFCD has refused to disclose any data related to the current or target population sizes of the buffalo.
Therefore, I respectfully request the following:
1. Confirmation of the official government policy on animal management concerning the buffalo population on South Lantau, particularly in relation to the Capture-Sterilise-Relocate (CSR) programme.
2. Clarification of the current buffalo population on Lantau, including the number of desexed versus non-sterilized buffalo, as well as the target population size necessary to meet the stated goal of ensuring that buffalo “can co-exist harmoniously with the public.”
Transparency is crucial to ensure that the policies in place are both effective and ethical, and that they align with the well-being of both the animals and the local community. I appreciate your attention to this important matter and look forward to your prompt response.
Yours sincerely,
Cc:
see@eeb.gov.hk
Mr. TSE Chin Wan, BBS, JP,
The Secretary for Environment and Ecology of the Environment and Ecology Bureau.
bi_dan@afcd.gov.hk
Dr. BI Dan, Denise
Sr. Veterinary Officer (Animal Mgt) Operations
ceo@ceo.gov.hk
Office of the Hong Kong Chief Executive
IT’S EASY ACT NOW
Simply click this email link to open an email message and the To and CC will complete with email addresses and the message body will be filled with the text above.
IMPORTANT: Please remember to add your full name or your message will not be processed.
Our buffalo babies brought a bit of calm to the shenanigans of 2019
Support our home where the buffalo roam.
Their constant landscaping keeps the mosquito population in check while their role in biodiversity is becoming increasingly clear.
The team at CityU has begun reporting findings from research into the Lantau Buffalo they are conducting now.
By sharing their research findings, we can shine a light on the importance of conserving our beautiful and beloved working buffalo and help in our efforts to save them.
Support a management plan that maintains water buffalo as part of our South Lantau countryside.
Contribute to the South Lantau Buffalo Society
— Feeding scheme
— Donations
— Fundraising
— Committee
South Lantau’s country park and wetlands are home to a substantial diversity of wildlife, including the water buffaloes, Bubalus bubalis.
Introduced to Hong Kong over 100 years ago, water buffalo are not only a recognizable tourism draw, they are an important contributor to our wetland eco systems. The resilient buffalo keep wetlands healthy by eating plants that would clog rivers, creating small wallows that attract birds and other animals.
Unfortunately, our water buffalo are being managed to extinction. We advocate for a water buffalo management plan that maintains water buffaloes as part of our South Lantau countryside in perpetuity.
Jean Leung, Chair
South Lantau Life donates 10% of all community membership fees to the South Lantau Buffalo Society.
Posted: 12 November 2024