A Brief Introduction on Lantau Buffalo Association from the death of Billy the Pui O cow / 從貝澳Billy之死看大嶼山愛護水牛協會

大嶼山愛護水牛協會在2003年由知名社運人士何來女士成立, 其成立目的包括以下六項:
1. 維護與管理在大嶼山南部現存野生黃牛和水牛畜群數量;
2. 傭聘牧牛人幫助村民與動物和平共處, 協助制止導致撲殺牛隻的誘因;
3. 促進負責任的自然化畜群管理發展;
4. 保存大嶼山的濕地及生態系統, 為這些動物提供棲息地;
5. 就水牛、黃牛及濕地生態提供教育資源;
6. 提高本土牛隻及其棲息地, 作為發揮大嶼山於香港的特色生態旅遊發展資源的積極作用。
The Lantau Buffalo Association is established by Ms. Ho Loy, who is popularly known as an social activist, in 2003. The objectives of this association are shown as follows:
1. Preserve & manage the wild cattle and water buffalo herd numbers in South Lantau,
2. Fund a herdsperson to help villagers & animals co-exist peacefully without the need for culling,
3. Promote responsible herd management,
4. Preserve Lantau’s wetlands & ecosystems that provide a habitat for these animals,
5. Provide educational resources regarding the buffaloes, cows & wetlands ecology,
6. Promote the bovines & their habitats as part of Lantau’s growing role in HK’s Eco-Tourism.

貝澳Billy當地唯一的一隻黃牛, 牠在出生後6個月因為母親去世而淪為孤兒, 在一次被村狗咬傷後被村民和當地獸醫救出, 經過年半的治療和照顧, Billy得以痊癒, 並且順利融入當地村民和水牛群的生活中, 成為貝澳的明星動物: 可惜隨著貝澳成為旅遊景點, 經常在貝澳沙灘蹓躂的Billy在遊客的誘導下進食其他食物, 進而對它們成癮, 身體狀況開始惡化 – 毛色變得暗啞、身體除了腹部腫脹外變得骨瘦如柴, 儘管村民為牠掛上「我只吃草」的名牌, 但無法阻止牠撿拾垃圾和搶奪遊客食物的壞習慣, 最終在2018年11月24日病逝。
Billy the Pui O cow is the only bovine living in his home-place Pui O, which becomes an orphan after his mother was died at his 6th month from birth. He was seriously bitten by the dogs and later rescued by villagers and veterinarians. He is then recovered after medical treatment for 1.5 years, being successfully integrated into the villages and buffaloes’ tribe in Pui O, making him a celebrity in the Southern Lantau. But as Pui O has developed into a tourist attraction too rapidly, Billy was tempted by the tourists to eat human food and later addicted to them. His health is gradually worsening with duller skin, becoming thinner than before except an even-growing tummy. He can’t quit this unhealthy habit even though hanging a name-card written with “Don’t Feed Me" on his neck, and later found death in November 24th, 2018.

在漁護署人員的驗屍過程裡, 發現Billy胃部有足以盛滿兩個垃圾桶的膠袋, 初步確認牠的死因是由於消化系統被膠袋阻塞, 致未能正常進食及消化; 多次嘗試介入事件的大嶼山愛護水牛協會質疑事件和近年大量遊客前往離島, 胡亂向居住當地的牛隻餵飼食物有關, 這種情況在梅窩及昂坪等遊客區特別猖獗; 儘管他們的說法一度引起政治化的罵戰, (尤其是促進香港經濟發展的國內自由行, 成為自然環境生態備受破壞的「罪魁禍首」) 但是貝澳Billy的事例, 促使當地的關注流浪牛組織透過公開宣傳的方式, 向市民及遊客教育對牛隻的正確態度, 務求避免類似的悲劇再次重演。
According to the reports released by the AFCD, Billy’s stomach and intestinal tract had been blocked with too much plastic bags which fill two rubbish bins, which hampered his digestion system and prevented him from eating and digesting properly. The Lantau Buffalo Association (it has followed up Billy’s case for several years) criticized Billy’s death is caused by an increase of tourists visiting Lantau Island, who fed the cattle with unhealthy human food, and such phenomenon is becoming more serious in the tourists’ attraction like Mui Wo and Long Ping. Although such criticisms raised much political debates over that, (Ho claimed that the increase of tourists from the Mainland China “damaged" the natural environment in Hong Kong like Lantau, although they improved Hong Kong financial income through tourism.) Billy’s case encouraged the strayed cattle concern group in Lantau teaching the appropriate manner towards the cattle towards other citizens and tourists through public promotion.

有關大嶼山愛護水牛協會的詳細資料, 請前往他們的官方網頁[見: http://lantaubuffalo.wordpress.com/]或Facebook專頁[見: http://www.facebook.com/LantauBuffaloAssociation/]
For further information about the Lantau Buffalo Association, please visit its official website [See: http://lantaubuffalo.wordpress.com/] or Facebook page [See: http://www.facebook.com/LantauBuffaloAssociation/ (In Chinese only)].