Kam Shan Country Park
Encyclopedia
Country park
A country park is an area designated for people to visit and enjoy recreation in a countryside environment.-History:In the United Kingdom the term 'Country Park' has a special meaning. There are over 400 Country Parks in England alone . Most Country Parks were designated in the 1970s, under the...
located in the ranges north of Kowloon
Kowloon
Kowloon is an urban area in Hong Kong comprising the Kowloon Peninsula and New Kowloon. It is bordered by the Lei Yue Mun strait in the east, Mei Foo Sun Chuen and Stonecutter's Island in the west, Tate's Cairn and Lion Rock in the north, and Victoria Harbour in the south. It had a population of...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. It covers an area of 3.37 km². Most of the area is covered by the Kowloon Group of Reservoirs
Kowloon Group of Reservoirs
The Kowloon Group of Reservoirs is located in the Kam Shan Country Park, north of Kowloon, Hong Kong. They include:* Kowloon Reservoir * Kowloon Byewash Reservoir* Kowloon Reception Reservoir...
. Inside the park, there are jogging trails, barbecue and picnic areas, which are easily accessible from Tai Po Road
Tai Po Road
Tai Po Road is the second longest road in Hong Kong . It spans from Sham Shui Po in Kowloon to Tai Po in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Initially, the road was named Frontier Road....
(Piper's Hill) via waterworks access roads. The park takes its name from the 369-metre peak, Kam Shan or Golden Hill (金山), which is the highest feature in the area.
Panoramic views can be enjoyed from the slopes of Golden Hill and several places along the western ridge at the park. From these vantage points, the whole length of Smugglers Ridge, Tai Mo Shan
Tai Mo Shan
Tai Mo Shan has the highest peak in Hong Kong, with an altitude of 957 m. It is located approximately at the geographical centre of the New Territories....
(the highest peak in Hong Kong), Needle Hill, Sha Tin New Town
Sha Tin New Town
Sha Tin New Town is one of the new towns in Hong Kong. It is within the Sha Tin District, which covers the areas of Sha Tin, Tai Wai, Fo Tan, Tai Shui Hang, Ma On Shan, etc. With development started in the 1970s, it covers an area of 35.87 square kilometres . It presently has a population over...
, Lion Rock
Lion Rock
Lion Rock, or less formally Lion Rock Hill, is a famous hill in Hong Kong. It is located between Kowloon Tong in Kowloon and Tai Wai in the New Territories, and is 495 metres high...
and Beacon Hill
Beacon Hill, Hong Kong
Beacon Hill is a hill in the Kowloon Tong area of Hong Kong's Kowloon peninsula. It is the 65th highest hill of Hong Kong. It is 457 m tall.Beacon Hill is located within the Lion Rock Country Park.-Name:...
can be seen. The northern part of Kowloon, the western anchorage of the harbour, Stonecutters Island
Stonecutters Island
Stonecutters Island or Ngong Shuen Chau is a former island in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. Following land reclamation, it is now annexed to the Kowloon peninsula.-Fauna:...
, the housing estates of Kwai Chung
Kwai Chung
Kwai Chung is a town in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Together with Tsing Yi Island, it is part of the Kwai Tsing District of Hong Kong. Kwai Chung is the site of the container port. It is also part of Tsuen Wan New Town. In 2000, it had a population of 287,000...
, the container port
Kwai Tsing Container Terminals
Kwai Tsing Container Terminals is the main port facilities in the reclamation along Rambler Channel between Kwai Chung and Tsing Yi Island, Hong Kong. It evolves from 4 berths of Kwai Chung Container Port completed in 1970s. It later expanded with two berths in 1980s...
, the industrial parts of Tsing Yi Island
Tsing Yi
Tsing Yi , or Tsing Yi Island is an island in the urban area of Hong Kong, to the northwest of Hong Kong Island and south of Tsuen Wan. With an area of 10.69 km², the island has extended drastically by reclamation along almost all its natural shore and the annexation of Nga Ying Chau and Chau...
and the town of Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan
Tsuen Wan is a bay in the Kowloon area of Hong Kong, opposite to Tsing Yi Island across Rambler Channel. The market town of Tsuen Wan emerged for the surrounding villages and fleets of fishing boats in the area. The town is around the present-day Tsuen Wan Station of the MTR...
can also be viewed from here.The park is famous for its conservations of macaque monkeys
Macaque
The macaques constitute a genus of Old World monkeys of the subfamily Cercopithecinae. - Description :Aside from humans , the macaques are the most widespread primate genus, ranging from Japan to Afghanistan and, in the case of the barbary macaque, to North Africa...
.
Geology
An area of granite of the Upper JurassicJurassic
The Jurassic is a geologic period and system that extends from about Mya to Mya, that is, from the end of the Triassic to the beginning of the Cretaceous. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of the Mesozoic era, also known as the age of reptiles. The start of the period is marked by...
period (formed between 130 million and 160 million years ago), the rocks are well exposed in road cuttings inside the park.
Animals
Kam Shan, or Monkey Hill to most locals, is a famous macaques kingdom in Hong Kong. The macaques are the largest group of mammalMammal
Mammals are members of a class of air-breathing vertebrate animals characterised by the possession of endothermy, hair, three middle ear bones, and mammary glands functional in mothers with young...
s in the park. The most significant species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
occurring here are Rhesus Macaque
Rhesus Macaque
The Rhesus macaque , also called the Rhesus monkey, is one of the best-known species of Old World monkeys. It is listed as Least Concern in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species in view of its wide distribution, presumed large population, and its tolerance of a broad range of habitats...
(Macaca mulatta) and Long-tailed macaque (Macaca fascicularis). These monkeys are probably descendants of monkeys released by pet owners in the 1920s, whereas wild macaque groups native to Hong Kong have almost disappeared due to habitat destruction and over-hunting. Apart from monkeys, this Country Park is also a shelter of squirrel
Squirrel
Squirrels belong to a large family of small or medium-sized rodents called the Sciuridae. The family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, marmots , flying squirrels, and prairie dogs. Squirrels are indigenous to the Americas, Eurasia, and Africa and have been introduced to Australia...
s and many bird
Bird
Birds are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic , egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species and 188 families makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from...
species. There are about 2,100 wild monkeys in Hong Kong, about 1,800 of them in Kam Shan country park.
The park also provide habitat for forest animals found in few other parts of Hong Kong. Among these are protected species like the Crested Goshawk
Crested Goshawk
The Crested Goshawk is a bird of prey from tropical Asia. It is related to other diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards and harriers, and thus placed in the family Accipitridae.-Description:...
(Accipiter trivirgatus). Other birds found in the park include the Black-eared Kite (Milvus migrans lineatus), House Swift
House Swift
The House Swift is a species of swift in the Apodidae family.It is found in Nepal, and Southeast Asia. It was formerly considered a subspecies of the Little Swift.-References:...
(Apus (affinis) nipalensis), Greater Coucal
Greater Coucal
The Greater Coucal or Crow Pheasant is a large non-parasitic member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. A widespread resident in Asia, from India, east to south China and Indonesia, it is divided into several subspecies, some being treated as full species...
(Centropus s.sinensis), Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), Rufous-backed Shrike (Lanius schach) and Common Tailorbird
Common Tailorbird
The Common Tailorbird is a songbird found across tropical Asia. Popular for its nest made of leaves "sewn" together and immortalized by Rudyard Kipling in his Jungle Book, it is a common resident in urban gardens. Although shy birds that are usually hidden within vegetation, their loud calls are...
(Orthotomus sutorius).
Flowers
Since the 1950s, exotic flora species have been progressively introduced to Kam Shan Country Park. These exotic species includes Brisbane Box(Lophostemon confertusLophostemon confertus
The Brush Box, Lophostemon confertus, is a tree native to Australia, though it can be found in the United States and elsewhere. Quite frequently, it has been planted as a street tree, due to its hearty nature, its disease and pest resilience, high tolerance for smog, drought and poor drainage, as...
) and Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus
Eucalyptus is a diverse genus of flowering trees in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Members of the genus dominate the tree flora of Australia...
species from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, and the charming Paper-bark Tree (Melaleuca quinquenervia
Melaleuca quinquenervia
Melaleuca quinquenervia, commonly known as Niaouli or Broad-leaved paperbark or the Paper Bark Tea Tree, is a small- to medium-sized tree of the allspice family, Myrtaceae. The plant is native to New Caledonia, Papua New Guinea and coastal Eastern Australia, from Botany Bay in New South Wales...
).
The Country Park is very rich in flora, with a great diversity of native and exotic species. Melastoma species, Rose Myrtle (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa
Rhodomyrtus tomentosa
Rhodomyrtus tomentosa is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, native to southern and southeastern Asia, from India, east to southern China, Taiwan and the Philippines, and south to Malaysia and Sulawesi...
), Acronychia (Acronychia pedunculata
Acronychia pedunculata
Acronychia pedunculata is a large shrub or small tree of the understory, gaps and fringes of low country and lower hill tropical forests of tropical Asia. Leaves: elliptic to subolong, often with tapered base. Twigs more or less angular, glabrous. Flowers: greenish white; I-acillary, corymbose...
), Hong Kong Gordonia (Gordonia axillaris), Fragrant Litsea (Litsea cubeba
Litsea cubeba
May Chang is an evergreen tree or shrub 5-12 meters high in the Lauraceae family. It is native to China, Indonesia, Taiwan and other parts of Southeast Asia. It is called "mountain pepper" in Mandarin and maqaw by the Atayal aborigines in Taiwan...
), Red Machilus (Machilus thunbergii), Pop-gun Seed (Bridelia tomentosa) and Ivy Tree (Schefflera heptaphylla), and the rather special Ram-rod Bamboo (Arundinaria hindsii) are the common varieties in the Country Park.
2006-2009 macaques killings
According to park wardens, since 2006 about 38 animal traps have been found in the park. An animal rights volunteer group was formed in 2007 when people discovered illegal huntingPoaching
Poaching is the illegal taking of wild plants or animals contrary to local and international conservation and wildlife management laws. Violations of hunting laws and regulations are normally punishable by law and, collectively, such violations are known as poaching.It may be illegal and in...
activities in the park. Dead monkeys wounded with sharp objects have been found in the park since 2007. On March 3, 2009 a dead monkey was found with a loop trap around its leg with body stab wounds.
According to rights group, 300 wild monkeys were slaughtered for mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
in May 2009. A man also used a BB gun
BB gun
BB guns are a type of air gun designed to shoot projectiles named BBs after the birdshot pellet of approximately the same size. These projectiles are usually spherical but can also be pointed; those are usually used for bird hunting. Modern day BB guns usually have a smoothbore barrel, with a bore...
to shoot the monkeys and shot one of the volunteers. Police arrived at the scene, Food and health chief
Secretary for Food and Health
The Secretary for Food and Health is a ministerial position in the Hong Kong Government, who heads the Food and Health Bureau...
York Chow Yat-ngok said he stepped up patrols to clear traps. Kwan Chi-yee, president of the Hong Kong Chinese Herbalists Association, issued a warning against eating monkey meat, saying "their meat can contain unknown virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
es. It's a myth that it's nutritious." Under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance, anyone hunting or willingly disturbing wild animals is liable to a fine of HK$100,000 and one year in jail.
See also
- Lion Rock Country ParkLion Rock Country ParkLion Rock Country Park is a country park, located in the New Territories, Hong Kong. It consists of approximately 5.57 km2 of land, including Lion Rock and Mong Fu Shek and their surrounding scenic hillsides, of which 3.48 km2 is forestry plantations.-Landmarks:The dominant topographical feature...
- Shing Mun Country ParkShing Mun Country ParkThe Shing Mun Country Park is a country park of Hong Kong, hugging the Shing Mun Reservoir.-Location:Located in the central New Territories, it covers a total of 14 km²...
- Conghua city yueyuan animal breeding farmConghua city yueyuan animal breeding farmConghua city yueyuan animal breeding farm is a monkey farm facility built in Conghua county Guangzhou, People's Republic of China. It houses monkeys to be sold internationally for scientific research.-History:...