Hurry! The Amazing Bovid of Lantau competition is down to these six photos

Only 24 hours and two contestants remain in the LBA Amazing Bovid of Lantau Photo Contest.

Two local photographers, Mink Chan and Natasha Ramsey, took all of the six photos that made it through to the last round – been chosen by a combination of popular vote and judging panel.

The very last round, to be concluded Tuesday midnight, is another round of public voting.

You can go to here to cast your vote – and if your favourite photo wins your name will go in the draw to win a number of prizes donated by sponsors including LUSH, the Water Buffalo and Garden Plus Cafe.

Altogether contestants sent in nearly 100 photos of cattle and buffalo to the Lantau Buffalo Association Facebook page.

The winning photographer will be awarded a prize from LUSH and $1000 cash donated by the Living Islands Movement.

Enjoy LOVE (Mink Chan)

Look into my soul (Natasha Ramsey)

Harmony Life (Mink Chan)

 

Mother touch (Natasha Ramsey)

Kiss (Mink Chan)

Piggy back (Natasha Ramsey)

Tai O’s 300-year-old Yeung Hau Temple declared a monument

Yeung Hau Temple in Tai O, one of Lantau’s oldest buildings, has been declared a monument.

The temple, originally built in 1699, is one of a number of Hau Wong temples across Hong Kong and southern China, most of which honour Yeung Leung-jit (楊亮節) a courtier celebrated for his loyalty in staying by the side of the young Song emperor as he fled the advancing Mongol forces in the 1270s.

However, the Chinese Temples Committee notes that the Tai O temple may also have been named after a local villager called Yeung who cured the emperor of an illness.

The temple, which contains a cast-iron bell struck in 1699, was extensively renovated in 1827, 1877 and 1988.

By ‘declaring’ a site, the Antiquities Office is empowered to prevent or limit alterations. The authority website explains:

The temple is one of the oldest temples in Tai O and has long been patronised not only by fishing folk and fisheries merchants in Tai O, but also by merchants from the neighbouring places and the Qing soldiers along the coast. The temple is also popular for its strong association with the Tai O dragon boat water parade, which is a traditional festive event with a history of over 100 years and was inscribed onto the third national list of intangible cultural heritage of China in 2011.

Built on the northern edge of Tai O the temple sits today just a few hundred metres away from the Hong Kong-Macau Bridge.

Hong Kong has 117 declared monuments, including six on Lantau Island (map).  The other Lantau sites are: Shek Pik Rock Carving,Tung Chung Fort, Fan Lau Fort, Fan Lau Stone Circle, and Tung Chung Battery.

 

Live on Lantau tonight: the Orionid Meteor show

The Orionid Meteor show is in town and Lantau is one of the best places from which to watch it.

The Orionids, fragments of Halley’s Comet, will be visible from around 11:30 tonight until just before sunrise.

Because of the new moon and the likely cloudless sky, astronomers worldwide are expecting a bright show.

As EarthSky blog explains:

As Comet Halley moves through space, it leaves debris in its wake that strikes Earth’s atmosphere most fully around October 20-22, every year. The comet is nowhere near, but, around this time every year, Earth is intersecting the comet’s orbit.

If the meteors originate from Comet Halley, why are they called the Orionids? The answer is that meteors in annual showers are named for the point in our sky from which they appear to radiate. The radiant point for the Orionids is in the direction of the constellation Orion the Hunter. Hence the name.

The best places in Hong Kong to witness the comet shower are Lantau and Sai Kung because of Orion’s position in the east or south-east sky, and the relatively low level of light pollution, according to the Hong Kong Space Museum.

Epic typhoon traffic jam sent passengers scurrying for MTR

Typhoon Khunan brought more than wind and rain to Hong Kong yesterday – it also helped create a massive traffic jam.

Traffic control measures on the Lantau Link caused vehicles heading to the airport and Tung Chung to back up as far as Stonecutters Bridge and Sham Tseng.

The result was rare scenes of people abandoning their rides and walking to the Tsing Yi and Disney MTR stations in order to catch their flights.

The traffic jam, which at one stage reached 13 kilometres long, followed the closure of the Tsing Ma and Ting Kau bridges. Vehicles were diverted to the lower deck of the Tsing Ma, causing drivers to be delayed in traffic for up to four hours, Apple Daily reported.

Flight attendant continues on foot (Photo: Apple Daily)

Secretary for Transport & Housing Frank Chan called for public understanding over the traffic controls, which were intended to ensure public safety. He told reporters restrictions were introduced only when the wind speed on Tsing Ma or Ting Kau bridges exceeded a specified level.

It was the second major traffic jam on the Lantau Link in two months. Drivers were delayed for several hours when the two-way toll was introduced in August.

The T8 storm signal was raised for 11 hours yesterday, in which time 479 flights were delayed and 79 were cancelled, according to Apple Daily.

Photo (top): Traffic banked up behind Ting Kau Bridge

Randy Yu sounds alarm on Mui Wo population growth

District Councillor Randy Yu has called on government, police and transport providers to explain how they will cope with Mui Wo’s coming population boom.

The opening of two Housing Department estates in Mui Wo next August will add 700 new homes and increase the population by between 1,700 to 2,000 – a huge spike from the current level of around 5,400.

“The public is greatly concerned about the lack of community facilities,” Yu said in a question tabled to the Islands District Council.

Local residents are worried about the carrying capacity of the ferry and bus services, inadequate parking for cars and bikes, the level of medical services and the lack of police.

Yu, who represents South Lantau, said his office has even received calls from those who have purchased homes in the new estates expressing concern about the expensive ferry fares.

He called on the Transport Department, the Hospital Authority, police and the ferry and bus companies to attend next week’s District Council meeting to explain how they will address these issues.

Tai O faces yet more flooding as Khanun set to graze Hong Kong

Tai O appears set to be flooded once again tonight with typhoon Khanun expected to pass within 200 kilometres of the city this afternoon.

Hong Kong Observatory says tides are now running more than 50 centimetres above normal.  “A high tide will occur tonight and cause flooding in some low-lying areas,” it adds.

Tai O, located at sea level on Lantau’s western edge, has already been flooded twice this year.  Typhoons Hato and Pakhar hit the city within a a few days of each other in August, swelling Tai O’s water level to 3.7 metres and leaving the villages with a clean-up that took weeks.

District Councillor Randy Yu has called for the creation of a “post-crisis mechanism” to help Tai O and other low-lying villages deal with floods.

The Observatory says the storm Signal 8 will likely remain in force for most of the afternoon. According to its 12:45pm bulletin:

Local winds are turning northeasterlies, and are forecast to become easterlies later. Areas which were previously sheltered will become exposed and winds will strengthen. Members of the public should stay on the alert.

In the past hour, the maximum sustained winds recorded at Green Island, Sha Chau and Tai Mei Tuk were 70, 68 and 63 kilometres per hour with maximum gusts 91, 96 and 101 kilometres per hour respectively.

South China Sea at 1pm today (Photo: HK Observatory)

T8 signal raised: bus and ferry services to halt mid-morning

The HK Observatory raised the T8 storm signal at 8:40 this morning, predicting Typhoon Khanun to pass about 200 kilometres southwest of the city later today.

At 9am it was 260 km south-southeast of the city, with maximum wind speeds of 140kmh at the centre.

The last ferries will run at 10:20am and 10:40am from Central and Mui Wo respectively, New World First Ferry has announced.

New Lantao Bus says it will halt all South Lantau services before 11am. It will run limited services on routes to Yat Tung and Tin Shui Wai.

The MTR will run as normal, but the corporation warns this may change at short notice.

The Observatory forecast for today:

Strong to gale northerly winds, occasionally storm force on parts of high ground. Becoming east to northeasterly winds. Cloudy to overcast with occasional heavy showers and squalls. Seas will be very rough with swells. The maximum temperature will be about 24 degrees.

UPDATE: MTR has announced it will provided limited rail service. Tung Chung Line trains will run at 10-minute intervals.

 

(VIDEO) Sunny side of the beach

 

Denquar and crew rework on old favourite on Cheung Sha Beach

The Lantau fox is doing well but still hasn’t found a home

Three months after being found hungry and homeless, the Lantau red fox is doing well in quarantine at Ocean Park.

According to the park, right now “he is in good health, his appetite is good, and his weight is significantly higher,” according to HK Animal Post.

The baby fox was found in the Tong Fuk catchwater by snake-watcher Ivan Li in July. Li’s photos of the rescue went viral and were picked up by local media.

The animal, just a few months old when discovered, is not native to Hong Kong but is a popular pet in some countries. Most likely it was abandoned by its owner or those who smuggled it into the city.

The fox is half-way through its six-month quarantine period. However, Ocean Park has said it can’t look after it permanently because it is not compatible with its existing Arctic foxes and it lacks the expertise to care for it.

Eating well (Source: HK Animal Post)

In a letter to lawmaker Roy Kwong, the park said it is still in discussions over the fox’s long-term future, though it is committed to caring it it until the AFCD and the SPCA make final arrangements.

A spokesperson for the SPCA said some foreign animal care organisations had expressed interest in providing a permanent home, but each had different quarantine procedures and import regulations. The SPCA is still studying these.

However, the association doesn’t rule out the possibility of the fox being adopted in Hong Kong by experts with the right knowledge. It has submitted a proposal to the AFCD about the options for care of small foxes. The AFCD has not yet responded.

Roy Kwong said: “Bless him, I hope that the small red fox can be like a [Hong Kong] drugstore cat and be adopted in a good local home.”

Lam promises Lantau conservation cash and a start on Shek Kwu Chau

Cash for local conservation projects, a solar power trial and the start of work on the Shek Kwu Chau incinerator top the list of measures affecting Lantau in Carrie Lam’s first policy address.

Lam announced she would make available funding for “countryside conservation initiatives” in areas of Lantau, including Pui O, Tai O and Shui Hau. She said the government would

The Environment and Conservation Fund is a government body, set up in the mid-90s, which in its last funding round in 2013 was granted $5 billion.

A new body, the Countryside Conservation Office, may also be a source of funds for Lantau conservation. It has a $1 billion kitty and a brief to “co-ordinate conservation projects that promote sustainable development of remote countryside.”

Another green project on the drawing board is the implementation of large-scale floating solar farms on the surface of Shek Pik and a dozen other Hong Kong reservoirs, following successful trials at Shek Pik and Plover Cove.

The project with possibly the biggest impact on South Lantau in the coming years could be is the Shek Kwu Chau incinerator – officially known as ‘the integrated waste management facilities.’ Work on the project, just one kilometre off Lantau’s south coast, is due to get underway soon.

The EPD issued a tender for the $21 billion project last December. Lam said the government intended to

Complete the tendering exercise and commence the design and construction works for the phase 1 project of the Integrated Waste Management Facilities for [municipal solid waste] treatment.

As reported earlier, most Lantau commuters will likely qualify for the planned fare subsidy scheme.

In other initiatives:

* A “district cooling system” is under consideration for the new development projects at Tung Chung and the HK-Macau bridge landing zone. A district cooling system is a centralised system of chilled pipes that can cool multiple buildings.

* Lam confirmed the government would go ahead with a review of the city’s heavily-subsidised ferry services, including the possibility of extending the licensing period or even offering subsidies for vessel replacement.

* The CE said she would encourage “the extension of optical fibre networks to villages in rural and remote areas.” Currently 117,000 people in 380 villages lacked access to high-speed fibre, Lam said.

 

Photo (top): Pui O – ready for conservation?