The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) has caused a public outcry after a tree pruning in one of Hong Kong’s prime bird habitats killed six nestlings and injured at least nine others.
Following a public complaint about “overgrown branches”, LCSD workers trimmed around five trees at Tai Po Egretry, on Kwong Fuk Road, at around 2pm on Tuesday afternoon. Eyewitness Kenny Or said he attempted to stop the pruning, as the area is a protected breeding site for protected wild herons, but the workers continued pruning the branches even after they saw baby birds fall out of the trees.
Under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance, no person can take, remove, injure, destroy, or wilfully disturb a nest or egg of a wild bird unless they have a special permit from the AFCD.
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After receiving a complaint from the Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, officers from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) rushed to the site and found that the LCSD workers had already departed, leaving dozens of nestlings and eggs on the ground.
A total of 15 baby birds were taken to Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden for treatment. Kadoorie Farm later confirmed on Facebook that five of the birds were dead on arrival, one had been euthanized due to its serious injuries, and nine hatchlings remain in intensive care. Of the remaining hatchlings, not all may survive due to “the additional stresses” they suffered – “fall from height, dehydration, heat stress and possible temporary food deprivation”.
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The farm’s conservation staff condemned the LCSD for its “blatant destruction” of the egretry, saying that they were “shocked and outraged” that the pruning was planned and allowed to go ahead at a known and protected breeding site for birds in the breeding season. The farm called for a “full investigation” into the matter and said it hoped the “responsible persons” would be held disciplined and prosecuted for their “clearly criminal and negligent behavior”.
The Bird Watching Society’s conservation officer Woo Ming-chuan likewise condemned the act, describing it as “a massacre” of little birds. “It’s just like tearing down a house even if you know full well there are people and children living inside. How could someone do that?” she said to Oriental Daily.
Trees in the areas were previously managed by the Civil Engineering and Development Department, Woo said, which had agreed to avoid pruning in the site during the egret breeding season from March to August every year.
The Tai Po Egretry is Hong Kong’s second largest egret habitat, and was recorded in 2016 to contain 151 nests of black-crowned night herons, little egrets, great egrets and cattle egrets. It is recognized by the government as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), meaning that it contains “rare or particular species of fauna and flora and their habitats” that require protection and conservation. Any human activities or developments are discouraged within SSSIs.
“The department deeply apologizes for the possible disturbance to the birds at the site due to the pruning,” the LCSD said in a statement after the incident. The department acknowledged that it had received a call from the AFCD to halt the pruning but said “the staff had already left the scene” at the time.
The department said it was taking “serious steps” to investigate the case, and had already reminded their “tree team staff” to “pay more attention”. According to the LCSD, all “tree team staff” have received professional tree care training, and some hold arboriculture qualifications. Presumably such qualifications do not require attendance of common sense classes.
Since the pruning, footage of seemingly injured and lost young herons that were left behind has been widely circulated online. According to Ming Pao, at least 1,900 people had complained to the LCSD over the destruction of the egretry by this morning.
