Research Highlights 研究亮點

Feral Cattle Seminars 23rd October 2025

Drs Tania Perroux and George Hodgson will be presenting their PhD research in an online seminar, 16:00 – 17:30 HKT, 23 October 2025.

Register online here for further information or scan the QR code in the poster. In-person attendance is available for City University of Hong Kong staff and students; we hope to see you there!

Bystanders affect allogrooming duration and interventions in feral cattle

On 4th July 2024, George Hodgson presented recent work on how nearby animals (also called bystanders) affect ongoing allogrooming behaviours and interventions in feral cattle. This work will also be presented at the European Congress for Behavioral Biology (ECBB) in Zurich, July 2024.

“We aimed to investigate and understand the relationship between allogrooming and bystander individuals in feral cattle. We want to know if bystander presence and characteristics affect allogrooming duration and the likelihood of intervention, and feral cattle give us an exciting opportunity to study how the surrounding environment affects partner choice. This can teach us a lot about cattle cognition and how they perceive the other animals in the herd.”

 ~ by George Hodgson

The seminar recording is available on request, please see our contact page for enquiries.

旁觀者影響野牛之間互梳行為的持續時間與介入情況

2024年7月4日，George Hodgson 發表了其最新研究成果，內容探討鄰近動物（即「旁觀者」）如何影響野牛正在進行的互梳行為及其介入行為。該研究將於2024年7月在瑞士蘇黎世舉行的歐洲行為生物學大會（ECBB）上發表。

「我們的研究目標是探索並理解野牛的互梳行為與旁觀者之間的關係。我們希望了解旁觀者的存在與其特徵是否會影響互梳行為的持續時間及介入的可能性。野牛為我們提供了一個理想的研究機會，使我們得以觀察環境因素如何影響社交夥伴上的選擇。這對於認識牛隻的認知能力及其對同伴的感知方式具有重要意義。」
—— George Hodgson

如欲索取研討會錄影，請透過我們的聯絡頁面進行查詢。

On November 14th 2023, Tania presented her work on “Phenotypes of a unique free-roaming bovid: Impact of urbanization on the appearance of cattle” at the Oceania Regional Meeting of the International Society of Applied Ethology (ISAE).

“This conference gave me an opportunity to introduce our unique cattle to experts of animal behaviour and it has sparked interest amongst them. Feral cattle are an exciting opportunity for us to study the ability of cattle to navigate dynamic environments and it’s rewarding to see other scientist engage with our research! Investigating Hong Kong cattle can teach us so much about ruminants and help understand their needs to optimize ruminants welfare in diverse environments.”

 ~ by Tania Perroux

於2023年11月14日，Tania表述了她的研究項目，名為「自由放養的牛之獨特表現型：都市化對牛隻外表的影響」，地點為 International Society of Applied Ethology (ISAE) 的大洋洲區域會議。

藉著是次會議容許我向諸位行為學專家介紹我們獨特的牛隻，並令專家們燃起對牠們的興趣。野牛給了我們一個令人振奮的機會去研究牛隻在動態環境下的定向能力，看到其他科學家參與我們的研究令我感到十分欣慰。透過對香港牛隻的探究，我們得以更深入地了解反芻動物及明白於繁雜的環境下完善反芻動物們福祉的需要。

 ~ by Tania Perroux

During the summer break 2022, some of our Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine (BVM) students (City University of Hong Kong) worked as interns on the Hong Kong Feral Cattle Phenotyping Project:

“During this internship, we have been given a lot of freedom to take ownership and contribute to the phenotyping project of the Hong Kong feral cattle, where we collected data on the appearance of the animals. It’s fascinating to observe the cattle’s behaviour, and after much practice we are able to phenotype the cattle in a swift manner. There were days where we spent hours in the heat just trying to locate the herd and it could be frustrating and physically challenging, but the moments when we finally spotted them were incredibly rewarding and exciting! The highlight of the internship so far was to see a calf of the Yan Yee Road herd. These feral cattle of Hong Kong are indeed very docile (and mischievous at times!) – the more I work with them, the more I aspire to protect and safeguard their welfare as a future veterinarian.”

~ by WONG Wing Sum (Winnie)

“We have also organised and analysed data involving the herd environment. Measuring parameters such as human pressure, remoteness and altitude allowed us to better qualify the herd’s environment. This is the first time I have been involved in research work related to biogeography, but under the kind guidance and patience of our supervisors, I have gained valuable experience and learned a lot. The project has greatly aroused my interest in this field as well, for which I am so thankful.”

~ by LAM Yeuk Wan (Sharon)

“Before the internship, I didn’t even realise Hong Kong has so many feral cattle hidden in different corners. This project gives me a precious opportunity to study the distinct phenotypes of Hong Kong cattle and understand the difference in behavioural traits of feral cows compared to domesticated dairy species. Going on different field trips has also given me valuable insights on the difficulties faced by Hong Kong feral animals. The urbanisation and human activities have a serious impact on their animal welfare and as a veterinarian student I feel like I have a responsibility to raise this concern to the society. I have learnt so much from the project and I am very thankful for the experience.”

~ by WONG Wang Hin (Jerry)

2022年暑假期間，我們部分獸醫系（香港城市大學獸醫學士）的學生在香港野生黃牛表型計畫中擔任實習生:

“在這個實習期間，我們獲得了很大的自主權去進行表型計劃，我們收集了有關這些動物外觀的數據，並為香港野生黃牛的表型項目做出貢獻。觀察黃牛的行為真的非常有趣，經過多次實踐，我們現在可以迅速地對牛進行表型分類。 有些日子，我們在炎熱的天氣下花了幾個小時嘗試尋找牛群，這確實會令人感到沮喪，而且這對身體的質素具有一定的挑戰性，但當我們最終發現它們時，那一刻真的非常令人興奮和滿足！到目前為止，實習期間的一個亮點是看到了在仁義路的牛群中的小牛。香港的這些野生黃牛確實非常馴良（雖然有時也很頑皮！）-我與牠們的互動越多，我就越渴望在未來作為一名獸醫來保護和維護牠們的福祉。”

~ by WONG Wing Sum (Winnie)

“我們也組織並分析了與牛群環境有關的數據。透過測量例如人類活動壓力、偏遠度和海拔等參數，讓我們能夠更好地描述牛群的環境。 這是我第一次參與與生物地理學相關的研究工作，但在我們導師的親切指導和耐心下，我獲得了寶貴的經驗並學到了很多知識。 這個項目也極大地激發了我對這領域的興趣，我對此非常感激。”

~ by LAM Yeuk Wan (Sharon)

” 在實習之前，我甚至沒有意識到香港在各個角落裡隱藏著這麼多的野生黃牛。 這個計畫為我提供了寶貴的機會，研究香港黃牛的獨特表型，並了解野生牛與家養牛在行為特性上的差異。 而且，不同的實地考察也讓我深入了解香港野生動物所面臨的困難。 城市化和人類活動對它們的動物福利產生了嚴重的影響，作為一名獸醫學生，我覺得自己有責任將這個問題上升至社會層面。 我也從這個計畫中學到了很多，非常感謝這次的經驗。”

~ by WONG Wang Hin (Jerry)