Hands (This week's Photo Hunt theme)

You've got to hand it to the Hong Kong authorities (yes, pun very much intended!): in that they do seem to try to go beyond most other territories' authorities in terms of trying to make sure that those living within their borders do the right thing!

Seeing the above pictured signs (that have images of human hands prominently featured on them): many an individual might get to thinking firstly, what are the chances of encountering cows in Hong Kong and secondly, who would go and blithely attempt to cattle they find wandering about the place. My answer to that first query is that they are higher than many a visitor to the Big Lychee might think -- especially in Sai Kung and on Lantau. And re the second: well... how about the all too many folks who seem to delight in disregarding the law to happily feed -- and thereby play a big part in creating the nuisance that are -- the many and often scarily large groups of wild monkeys in Hong Kong!

My own personal take on these two groups of creatures is that spotting the occasional cow wandering freely on country park and other public space is one of those things that keeps Hong Kong interesting (with the possible action of on Tap Mun, an island with a whole lot of feral cows and their mess!) but that the monkey population has grown too big and bold to the extent that they have become a sometimes pretty scary menace.

And although a story I heard about a monkey jumping onto a hiker's back, unzipping his backpack and making away with some of his food located that particularly bold monkey on mainland China, I can see a day in the near future when something similar takes place in the Hong Kong monkey land centered at Kam Shan (translated from Cantonese as Gold Hill/Mountain but now often frequently referred to as Ma Lau Shan (i.e., Monkey Hill/Mountain) but also taking in parts of Shing Mun and Lion Rock country parks.

So while I did appear to start off this Photo Hunt entry in a light-hearted fashion, I actually do agree with the Country Parks authorities in their bid to curb unwitting urbanites from unbalancing the ecological system by doing such as encouraging feral animals to approach -- rather than steer clear -- of humans and expect to be fed. Put another way: people should keep their hands away from stray and feral animals... unless they want the hands that feed to be bitten -- if not literally, then metaphorically -- somewhere along the line!