A rather surprising phenomenon in Hong Kong are the feral cows.  That’s right – wild cows.  These animals roam freely in the more rural areas of Hong Kong such as the New Territories.  They are the descendants of cows let free by farmers who stopped dairy farming.  The herds are getting larger and to some are a pest as they can cause traffic jams as they amble slowly on or across the roads.  They don’t restrict themselves to grassy areas, but walk around the towns too!

Personally I like them. They are gentle and there is something rather nice in seeing a cow quietly munching its breakfast in the middle of a roundabout!  The males tend to be alone whilst the females and their calves are seen in herds.

Here are some that I’ve managed to photograph.

a morning graze at a small village

A herd in Sai Kung town

Eating the floral borders in Sai Kung

Strolling through Sai Kung town

Some have been tagged and collared so they can be tracked.  As well as the government there are a couple of ‘pro-cow’ groups that promote positive interaction (which is a ‘look but don’t touch’ message) with the cows and are trying to persuade people to driver more slowly after recent hit-and-run accidents involving cows and their calves.

As I said, I think they are a lovely part of Hong Kong life, but then, I don’t have to scrape their poo off the pavements and car parks after they’ve spent the night there!