A beautiful part of nature or a public pest? The Lantau water buffalo manage to be seen as both among the island's residents. But the Lantau Buffalo Association is keen to save what they say is a cultural icon of Hong Kong. Association member Tania Willis has come up with a T-shirt design with a photo of the animal and 'Horny Lantau' written on the front, to promote the bovine cause.
'We're hoping to raise funds to employ a part-time herdsperson to take buffalo away' from areas where they might put themselves in danger or be regarded as a pest to others, she said. The fund-raising move follows the deaths of a truckload of buffalo earlier this year when they were being moved by government vets to Sheung Shui.
Ms Willis, an illustrator and designer, is one of 12 members of the association who feel the buffalo represent part of Lantau's natural heritage. 'The tourists coming here, they want to see the countryside. The sight of a buffalo up to its knees in water with hyacinths and a white crane on its back - it's one of the amazing sights of urban Hong Kong.'
