20
Natural History
ONE thousand years ago, wild leopards and tigers stalked their prey in what is now Hong Kong's Central District. Thick undergrowth with scores of wild creatures in their natural surroundings—this was the scene that greeted the first Chinese settlers to Kowloon peninsula and Hong Kong Island, during the early Sung Dynasty.
Most of the big game vanished years ago as settlers steadily cut away the great forest replacing it first with paddy fields and villages, and later with skyscrapers and factories.
Rapid development of urban areas has made further inroads into the country- side but, especially in the New Territories, large areas of Hong Kong are still virtually untouched, with wooded hillsides and valleys and green paddy fields.
Wild Life
Even so, many wild animals, particularly mammals, are declining in numbers. Indigenous mammals which can no longer be found are the large Indian civet, the crab-eating mongoose, the wild red dog or dhole, the tiger and the leopard. The last positive record of a tiger was in 1947 and the last recorded sighting of a leopard in 1957. The Eastern Chinese otter, once abundant, is now a rare visitor, and of the carnivores, the South China red fox and the Chinese leopard cat have all but dis- appeared from Hong Kong.
The barking deer and the wild pig, once plentiful, are now rare in the New Territories and the remaining barking deer on Hong Kong Island are confined to a few areas, particularly the forests on Victoria Peak.
Of the larger indigenous mammals, the Chinese pangolin (scaly anteater) which grows to three-and-a-half feet and is protected by horny scales, is seen occasionally. Monkeys are still seen near the Kowloon reservoirs. Although originating from specimens either released or escaped from captivity, there are now small breeding groups of both long-tailed macaques and rhesus monkeys inhabiting the area.
Smaller mammals are common, with the grey shrew and the house shrew being numerous in some rural areas. The Chinese porcupine, with its strikingly coloured black and white quills, is still present in parts of the New Territories and on Hong Kong Island.
The Hong Kong Bird Watching Society holds about 12 field outings each year, there being ample opportunity for either serious study, or simple enjoyment, of bird life. A total of 374 species, representing more than 60 different families, including resident and migrant birds, have so far been recorded.