While Hong Kong may be famed for its glassy financial hub and shopping centres, locals know that there’s a wilder, more rural side to be found on our 200-odd islands — a fact that we were reminded of today after seeing a beautiful young calf being brought into the world just an hour out of the city center.
While running on High Island Reservoir in Sai Kung today, a woman named Habiba Bee encountered a pregnant feral cow and witnessed her giving birth. Luckily for us, she shared pictures and videos of the event on Facebook. Amazingly, the mum appears to be remarkably calm, even when her baby’s half hanging out of her:
Footage of the actual birth was provided too (2:00 mark):
The proud mama cow wastes no time in doting on her newborn, licking it clean, and encouraging it to stand up and (try to) walk.
In 2015, the government estimated that there were roughly 1,100 heads of wild cattle and water buffalo in Hong Kong. Many herds (categorized as either “rural” or “local”) are concentrated on Lantau Island and in Sai Kung. In response to complaints that the cattle posed a public nuisance, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department launched a programme in 2011 to capture, tag, sterilize (although it seems they were a bit late in this case!), and relocate stray cattle to remoter areas.
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