Replies to LegCo questions

LCQ11: Management of stray cattle

Following is a question by the Hon Wong Kwok-hing and a written reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today (July 3):

Question:

On June 5 this year, a number of stray cattle were injured or killed after being hit by a vehicle/vehicles on South Lantau Road on Lantau Island. On the other hand, according to the estimate of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), there were 1 230 stray cattle in Hong Kong in 2012, 280 of which were on Lantau Island, and the number of stray cattle in Sai Kung/Ma On Shan had increased from 190 in 2008 to 500 in 2012. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) of the progress of the investigation conducted by government departments such as the Police and AFCD, etc. into the aforesaid incident, including whether the driver(s) involved in the case has/have been caught;

(b) given that some residents on Lantau Island have pointed out that the problem of speeding on South Lantau Road is rather serious at night, resulting in incidents of stray cattle being hit by vehicles occurring from time to time, whether the authorities will place additional road markings and traffic signs of speed limit as well as install additional speed enforcement cameras, so as to alleviate the problem of speeding in that area and reduce the number of incidents of cattle being hit by vehicles; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(c) of the number of stray cattle injured or killed by being hit by vehicles in each month of the past three years, the number of cases into which investigation had been launched by the Police, as well as the respective numbers of cases in which the persons involved were prosecuted and convicted, together with a breakdown by district;

(d) whether the authorities will consider providing cowsheds at suitable locations for stray cattle to stay in, so as to reduce their chance of being hit by vehicles on roads; if they will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that;

(e) given that the authorities have established a dedicated Cattle Management Team (CAT) to handle stray cattle cases, formulated a long-term strategy, as well as implemented the relevant measures in collaboration with the relevant animal welfare organisations and local communities, of the manpower and estimated expenditure of CAT in this financial year; and

(f) of the number of stray cattle cases handled by CAT in each of the past three years, together with a breakdown by district; whether the authorities will review the effectiveness of the work of CAT, including whether the aforesaid incident reflects the ineffectiveness of the work of CAT, and which areas are in need of improvement?

Reply:

President,

The Cattle Administration Team (CAT) is a dedicated team set up under the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) to co-ordinate the management of stray cattle in Hong Kong. Apart from handling complaints about stray cattle, members of the CAT visit various areas in the territory frequented by stray cattle on a regular basis. The AFCD has formulated a long-term strategy to address the issue of stray cattle through a multi-pronged approach.

My reply to the various parts of the question is as follows:

(a) On June 5, 2013, the Police received a report that several cattle carcasses were found on South Lantau Road, Lantau Island. Upon Police investigation, an expatriate woman was arrested in Tong Fuk Village on Lantau Island on the same day for suspected acts of cruelty to animals. She was released on bail pending further investigation. The case is being followed up by the Lantau District Crime Squad. The Police do not rule out the possibility that other people and vehicles were involved. Further investigations are underway.

The AFCD will assist the Police in their investigations and provide the necessary information as required.

(b) For the purpose of reminding drivers, eight "beware of cattle" road signs have been put up by the Transport Department (TD) at the section of South Lantau Road near Cheung Sha on Lantau Island where cattle often appear. The TD will, in consultation with the AFCD, identify other locations on South Lantau frequented by cattle for putting up additional road signs.

As for the suggestion of monitoring the speed of vehicles, the TD will consider a number of factors when identifying locations to install fixed speed enforcement camera (SEC) systems, such as the prevalence of speeding activities, the number of traffic accidents involving speeding, geographical constraints, etc. SEC systems are usually installed at long steep downhill roads and trunk roads with higher traffic speed and traffic flow. According to the records of traffic accidents over the past few years and recent on-site observation, the section of South Lantau Road near Cheung Sha on Lantau Island does not meet the criteria for installing a SEC system. Such being the case, the TD will not for the time being consider installing a SEC system at the said location.

(c) The Police do not keep separate figures showing the number of traffic incidents involving stray cattle.

(d) We note that there is a suggestion of providing cowsheds for stray cattle, so as to reduce their use of carriageways. In fact, where feasible and appropriate, the AFCD will relocate captured stray cattle to rural areas or country parks where they may stay without causing any nuisance. However, from the AFCD's observation, some cattle tended to return to their original dwelling places or locations where they were caught after being relocated. To obtain more detailed information about their movements, the AFCD has launched a stray cattle tracking pilot scheme under which some of the cattle relocated would be fitted with collars with global positioning system (GPS) devices so as to monitor their movements and routes. This will facilitate our work in planning for relocation and allow us to explore other feasible measures (e.g. erecting fence or installing cattle grids) to prevent the cattle from returning to their original dwelling places.

(e) Currently, the CAT consists of ten AFCD officers, including veterinary officers and those from the Field Officer grade. The estimated expenditure of the team in the 2013-14 financial year is about $2.1 million.

(f) The CAT was established at the end of 2011. The relevant breakdown of the number of stray cattle cases handled by the team from January 2012 to May 2013 is given at Annex.

Since the establishment of the CAT more than a year ago, the AFCD has formulated a long-term strategy to address the issue of stray cattle through a multi-pronged approach. Measures adopted include conducting detailed surveys on the number and distribution of stray cattle in the territory, through which important baseline information (such as the number of stray cattle and their dwelling places) has been collected to help us better evaluate the effectiveness of various stray cattle management measures in future; acting in collaboration with animal welfare organisations to neuter stray cattle, with a view to controlling their population in the long run by reducing their breeding rates; and fitting some relocated cattle with GPS collars to monitor their movements and routes, thereby facilitating relocation planning and the exploration of other feasible measures to prevent the cattle from returning to their original dwelling places.

With the concerted efforts of the AFCD, animal welfare organisations and the local communities concerned, a total of 156 stray cattle have been neutered since the establishment of the CAT. Besides, the number of complaints about nuisance caused by stray cattle received by the AFCD decreased from 245 in 2011 to 149 in 2012. Under the said multi-pronged strategy, it is believed that the issue of stray cattle could be properly addressed by controlling the number of stray cattle gradually and effectively.

To keep track of developments, the AFCD will continue to conduct surveys on the number and distribution of stray cattle in various districts across the territory. As has been mentioned in part (b) above, the AFCD will, in the light of the said traffic incident, collaborate actively with the TD in identifying other locations on South Lantau frequented by cattle for putting up additional road signs, so as to remind drivers of the possible presence of stray cattle. Besides, the AFCD has stepped up publicity and education on the protection of stray cattle.

To assess and enhance the efficacy of the above long-term strategy, the AFCD will continue to liaise with the relevant local communities, animal organisations, district councils and rural committees, and listen to the views of various parties.

Ends/Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Issued at HKT 15:36

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LCQ11 Annex