Better Plan To Protect Lantau Buffaloes Urged

A concern group has urged officials to get out of their air-conditioned offices and get to know Lantau's cattle, saying sterilising the animals is not the best way to solve increasing conflicts between these animals and humans.

The South Lantau Buffaloes Society held a demonstration outside Harbour Building on Monday, where they handed petition letters featuring 600 signatures to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and Islands District Council.

The demonstration comes amid reports of recent incidents involving cattle and humans. An elderly woman fell down and was injured when a buffalo was chasing another buffalo in September, and two cattle died in a road accident in October.

The group said the government only wants to sort out the complaints of some people, but neglects another big group who want to find a way to live with buffaloes.

Chairwoman Jean Leung, also known as "Buffalo Jean" or "Buffalo mama", said people blame the animals due to ignorance, while the government simply sterilises male buffaloes as a solution, as this has been common practice in the past.

“They [officials] have planning, they talk a lot. The villagers also talk a lot. But they never spend a minute to understand the buffaloes. They only say, ‘[the buffaloes] come to my farm and eat my [crops], eat my flowers,’ they only know this, and never stand with the buffaloes, stay with the buffaloes. They only want the buffaloes to disappear,” she said.