Justification of policy of removal of all buffalo herd from south Lantau
Dear Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department,
Your department has engaged in a project to phase out the buffalo population of South Lantau through the relocation and desexing of existing herds to prevent future generations of Buffalo.
Please can you inform me by return details of the policy including :
1. The scope of the policy including start and end dates
2. The goals of the policy with the appropriate the justification for these goals?
3. How the level of desexing of herds is tracked to ensure the correct number of buffalo are desexed and within the stated goals above? Also to ensure public money is not wasted on unnecessary expenditure desexing buffaloes where not required?
4. The total spending to date to implement the policy?
5. The total amount of public funds allocated to implement this policy?
6. If there was any public consultation prior to the implementation of the policy and if so please share the details including dates and responses?
7. What consideration there has been to identify and mitigate any risks arising from the implementation of this policy? For example this will lead to an increased risk of wildfire as the herds ensure the grassland is kept short. Has the Fire Department been involved and informed of increased responsibilities resulting from the reduction of the herd? Have the emergency services been notified of a likely increase in road traffic accidents given the free roaming buffalo serve as a traffic calming measure for local residents?
8. The risks identified in point 7 above
9. Which member of staff is responsible for the review and sign off prior to implementation of this policy within the AFCD?
10. What are the criteria used to assess if the implementation of this policy is a success and of benefit to the local community and if there has been sufficient cost benefit to continue the implementation ?
As part of your departments commitment to Conservation , your department pledges “ To conduct regular ecological surveys to take inventory and update the status of our biodiversity assets and to establish an ecological database for Hong Kong”.
11. Can you share details of when the most recent survey of the South Lantau buffalo was undertaken?
13. Can you share the findings deom the above survey which justify the current policy (and associated public funded costs) of desexing buffalo to a level where the herds are no long self sustainable?
Further more, the goal of the AFCD to lower the biodiversity of the fauna of South Lantau is in contradiction to your stated goals, namely:
12. “ To conserve local flora, fauna and natural habitats through offering conservation advice on development proposals, planning strategies and environmental impact assessment” - can you give details on how this current policy aligns with your stated and public funded conservation goals?
Yours faithfully,
Mr Sargent
Dear Mr Sargent,
We received your request for information on justification of policy of
removal of all buffalo herd from south Lantau on 29 December 2023 and we
need more time to process your request. Pursuant to paragraph 1.16 of the
Code, you will be advised further in relation to your request by 18
January 2024.
Regards,
Calvin CHAN
for Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation
From: Mr Sargent <[FOI #1482 email]>
To: "FOI requests at Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation
Department" <[Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department request email]>
Date: 2023/12/29 上午 02:34
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Justification of policy
of removal of all buffalo herd from south Lantau
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Dear Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department,
Your department has engaged in a project to phase out the buffalo
population of South Lantau through the relocation and desexing of existing
herds to prevent future generations of Buffalo.
Please can you inform me by return details of the policy including :
1. The scope of the policy including start and end dates
2. The goals of the policy with the appropriate the justification for
these goals?
3. How the level of desexing of herds is tracked to ensure the correct
number of buffalo are desexed and within the stated goals above? Also to
ensure public money is not wasted on unnecessary expenditure desexing
buffaloes where not required?
4. The total spending to date to implement the policy?
5. The total amount of public funds allocated to implement this policy?
6. If there was any public consultation prior to the implementation of the
policy and if so please share the details including dates and responses?
7. What consideration there has been to identify and mitigate any risks
arising from the implementation of this policy? For example this will lead
to an increased risk of wildfire as the herds ensure the grassland is kept
short. Has the Fire Department been involved and informed of increased
responsibilities resulting from the reduction of the herd? Have the
emergency services been notified of a likely increase in road traffic
accidents given the free roaming buffalo serve as a traffic calming
measure for local residents?
8. The risks identified in point 7 above
9. Which member of staff is responsible for the review and sign off prior
to implementation of this policy within the AFCD?
10. What are the criteria used to assess if the implementation of this
policy is a success and of benefit to the local community and if there has
been sufficient cost benefit to continue the implementation ?
As part of your departments commitment to Conservation , your department
pledges “ To conduct regular ecological surveys to take inventory and
update the status of our biodiversity assets and to establish an
ecological database for Hong Kong”.
11. Can you share details of when the most recent survey of the South
Lantau buffalo was undertaken?
13. Can you share the findings deom the above survey which justify the
current policy (and associated public funded costs) of desexing buffalo to
a level where the herds are no long self sustainable?
Further more, the goal of the AFCD to lower the biodiversity of the fauna
of South Lantau is in contradiction to your stated goals, namely:
12. “ To conserve local flora, fauna and natural habitats through offering
conservation advice on development proposals, planning strategies and
environmental impact assessment” - can you give details on how this
current policy aligns with your stated and public funded conservation
goals?
Yours faithfully,
Mr Sargent
-------------------------------------------------------------------
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Dear Mr Sargent,
Further to my email dated 5 January 2024, our substantive reply is as
follows:
The objectives of the Departmental policy on the stray buffalo population
on Lantau are to minimise the human-buffalo conflict on Lantau as well as
to manage the public safety risk relating to those stray buffaloes.
The policy is endorsed by the senior management of the Department and
implemented by the cattle management team of the Department.
1. The scope of the policy including start and end dates.
The aims of the policy are to minimise human-buffalo conflicts as well as
to manage the public safety risk relating to stray buffaloes on Lantau.
The policy is implemented through the control of stray buffalo population
by surgical sterilisation and strategic removal of dangerous buffaloes
that pose threats to public safety.
Such policy is on-going and in accordance to the objectives stated above.
2. The goals of the policy with the appropriate the justification for
these goals?
The goal is to reduce the human-buffalo conflict and the public safety
risk to an acceptable level.
3. How the level of desexing of herds is tracked to ensure the correct
number of buffalo are desexed and within the stated goals above? Also to
ensure public money is not wasted on unnecessary expenditure desexing
buffaloes where not required?
The number of buffaloes sterilised and the number of intact buffaloes are
regularly monitored by the cattle management team of the Department.
4. The total spending to date to implement the policy?
The annual expenditure of running the Cattle Management Team is
approximately HK$ 5.6 million. The cattle management team is also
responsible for treating and rescuing stray cattle. We do not have the
exact breakdown to indicate the proportion spent on the policy of stray
buffalo population control.
5. The total amount of public funds allocated to implement this policy?
The annual expenditure of running the Cattle Management Team is
approximately HK$ 5.6 million. The cattle management team is also
responsible for treating and rescuing stray cattle. We do not have the
exact breakdown to indicate the proportion spent on the policy of stray
buffalo population control.
6. If there was any public consultation prior to the implementation of the
policy and if so please share the details including dates and responses?
The policy has been discussed in the Legislative Council of Hong Kong SAR
and the Islands District Council. Sterilisation has been a well accepted
measure to control the population of stray animals.
7. What consideration there has been to identify and mitigate any risks
arising from the implementation of this policy? For example this will lead
to an increased risk of wildfire as the herds ensure the grassland is kept
short. Has the Fire Department been involved and informed of increased
responsibilities resulting from the reduction of the herd? Have the
emergency services been notified of a likely increase in road traffic
accidents given the free roaming buffalo serve as a traffic calming
measure for local residents?
There were no buffaloes on Lantau 30-40 years ago. We do not think there
is a correlation between the number of buffaloes and the risk of wildfire.
Stray buffaloes roaming along South Lantau Road is more of a problem than
a "calming measure". We had at least two buffaloes that were hit by cars
in 2023. One of them had to be euthanised.
8. The risks identified in point 7 above
You may say buffaloes serve like "gardeners" who are keeping the grass
short and low. But the population of stray buffaloes on Lantau has
expanded to a point that it is bringing more harm than good to the
villagers on Lantau. We are, therefore, trying to slow the expansion of
the buffalo population or even further reduce it.
9. Which member of staff is responsible for the review and sign off prior
to implementation of this policy within the AFCD?
The policy is endorsed by the senior management of the Department and they
are aware of the current situation.
10. What are the criteria used to assess if the implementation of this
policy is a success and of benefit to the local community and if there has
been sufficient cost benefit to continue the implementation ?
We monitor the number of complaints against stray buffaloes from time to
time. We also review the type and severity of each complaint. Our goal is
to minimise the nuisances as well as the public safety risk relating to
stray buffaloes.
As part of your departments commitment to Conservation , your department
pledges “ To conduct regular ecological surveys to take inventory and
update the status of our biodiversity assets and to establish an
ecological database for Hong Kong”.
11. Can you share details of when the most recent survey of the South
Lantau buffalo was undertaken?
We only conduct normal surveys to monitor the total number of buffaloes on
Lantau. There were about 75 buffaloes in 2013 and it increased to 120 in
2018.
13. Can you share the findings deom the above survey which justify the
current policy (and associated public funded costs) of desexing buffalo to
a level where the herds are no long self sustainable?
From our understanding, there are still at least 10 intact female
buffaloes and at least eight intact male buffaloes.
There were also six calves over the last two years.
We will sterilise two more female buffaloes this year.
Further more, the goal of the AFCD to lower the biodiversity of the fauna
of South Lantau is in contradiction to your stated goals, namely:
12. “ To conserve local flora, fauna and natural habitats through offering
conservation advice on development proposals, planning strategies and
environmental impact assessment” - can you give details on how this
current policy aligns with your stated and public funded conservation
goals?
The population of stray buffaloes on Lantau has expanded to a point that
it is bringing more harm than good on Lantau. We have been seeing an
increasing number of reports of buffaloes entering populated villages on
Lantau. Some dominant bulls also fight and chase away each other inside
those villages. During these incidents, multiple passersby had been
severely injured (we used to only have one to two incidents over a period
of three to four years, but we already had eight cases in a two-year
period between 2021 and 2023. As public safety is always of paramount
importance, AFCD is adopting more stringent measures to alleviate this
issue. These measures include relocating some bachelor bulls as well as
performing additional sterilisations. All these are essential for
safeguarding public safety.
Regards,
Calvin Chan
for Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation
From: Calvin KC CHAN/AFCD/HKSARG
To: [FOI #1482 email]
Date: 05/01/2024 10:43
Subject: Re: Freedom of Information request - Justification of
policy of removal of all buffalo herd from south Lantau
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Dear Mr Sargent,
We received your request for information on justification of policy of
removal of all buffalo herd from south Lantau on 29 December 2023 and we
need more time to process your request. Pursuant to paragraph 1.16 of the
Code, you will be advised further in relation to your request by 18
January 2024.
Regards,
Calvin CHAN
for Director of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation
From: Mr Sargent <[FOI #1482 email]>
To: "FOI requests at Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation
Department" <[Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department request email]>
Date: 2023/12/29 上午 02:34
Subject: Freedom of Information request - Justification of policy
of removal of all buffalo herd from south Lantau
══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Dear Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department,
Your department has engaged in a project to phase out the buffalo
population of South Lantau through the relocation and desexing of existing
herds to prevent future generations of Buffalo.
Please can you inform me by return details of the policy including :
1. The scope of the policy including start and end dates
2. The goals of the policy with the appropriate the justification for
these goals?
3. How the level of desexing of herds is tracked to ensure the correct
number of buffalo are desexed and within the stated goals above? Also to
ensure public money is not wasted on unnecessary expenditure desexing
buffaloes where not required?
4. The total spending to date to implement the policy?
5. The total amount of public funds allocated to implement this policy?
6. If there was any public consultation prior to the implementation of the
policy and if so please share the details including dates and responses?
7. What consideration there has been to identify and mitigate any risks
arising from the implementation of this policy? For example this will lead
to an increased risk of wildfire as the herds ensure the grassland is kept
short. Has the Fire Department been involved and informed of increased
responsibilities resulting from the reduction of the herd? Have the
emergency services been notified of a likely increase in road traffic
accidents given the free roaming buffalo serve as a traffic calming
measure for local residents?
8. The risks identified in point 7 above
9. Which member of staff is responsible for the review and sign off prior
to implementation of this policy within the AFCD?
10. What are the criteria used to assess if the implementation of this
policy is a success and of benefit to the local community and if there has
been sufficient cost benefit to continue the implementation ?
As part of your departments commitment to Conservation , your department
pledges “ To conduct regular ecological surveys to take inventory and
update the status of our biodiversity assets and to establish an
ecological database for Hong Kong”.
11. Can you share details of when the most recent survey of the South
Lantau buffalo was undertaken?
13. Can you share the findings deom the above survey which justify the
current policy (and associated public funded costs) of desexing buffalo to
a level where the herds are no long self sustainable?
Further more, the goal of the AFCD to lower the biodiversity of the fauna
of South Lantau is in contradiction to your stated goals, namely:
12. “ To conserve local flora, fauna and natural habitats through offering
conservation advice on development proposals, planning strategies and
environmental impact assessment” - can you give details on how this
current policy aligns with your stated and public funded conservation
goals?
Yours faithfully,
Mr Sargent
-------------------------------------------------------------------
This is a request under the Code of Access to Information facilitated via
the accessinfo.hk website.
Please use this email address for all replies to this request:
[FOI #1482 email]
Is [Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department request email] the wrong address for Freedom of Information
requests to Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department? If so,
please contact us using this form:
[1]https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...
Disclaimer: This message and any reply that you make will be published on
the internet. Our privacy and copyright policies:
[2]https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers
If you find this service useful as an FOI officer, please ask your web
manager to link to us from your organisation's FOI page.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
References
Visible links
1. https://accessinfo.hk/en/change_request/...
2. https://accessinfo.hk/en/help/officers
