Found on Coleman's Beach on 9 Dec. 2012

Not a mystery to all!

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Sabe 1

Of course there is no mystery. Just trying to stimulate the Forum by journalist style headline (in contrary to Moderator's job).
Still I just wonder what was the cause of death. I did not gave the guts to examine the carcass. Could be a wound from poachers? Usually wounded or sick animals try to hide, so was the pig killed on spot on the beach?

Poachers? Do we have poachers on Lamma?

I DID poach an egg this AM. So I suppose I am one.

If I could have a chance at getting one of those hogs in a reasonable manner I would eat it.

It's only poaching if against the law, I don't know what the law is here, and if it was attacking me, I'll bet that would not be illegal.

Heeeeeeere piggy piggy piggy! Here pig pig pig pig. SOOOOOEYY!

I am not sure "if we have poachers on Lamma". Certainly if there were any they would not advertise their job. If there is and illegal logging on Lamma there may be a poaching,, which is illegal I believe

Poaching is hunting or fishing illegally, so you can't have legal poaching.

I have been told there are no fishing license regulations, so if there are no hunting regulations, then there is no such thing as poaching in HK. I imagine there is some type of regulation.

Maybe poisoned.

Some locals up the hill away from the main paths have been throwing out food lately. When my mate asked them what they were doing, they said they were feeding the birds. She asked them to please stop, as many dogs walk in the area and they try to eat it.

Wild pig have been seen in the area lately.

Cap 169 s 3 Penalty for cruelty to animals

(1) Any person who-
(a) cruelly beats, kicks, ill-treats, over-rides, over-drives, overloads, tortures, infuriates, or terrifies any animal, or causes or procures or, being the owner, permits any animal to be so used, or, by wantonly or unreasonably doing or omitting to do any act, causes any unnecessary suffering or, being the owner, permits any unnecessary suffering to be so caused to any animal; or
...
shall be liable on summary conviction to a fine of $200000 and to imprisonment for 3 years.

CAP 170 WILD ANIMALS PROTECTION ORDINANCE

Cap 170 s 4 Hunting, etc. of protected wild animals prohibited
No person shall, except in accordance with a special permit, hunt or wilfully disturb any protected wild animal.

Cap 170 s 15 Special permits
(1) Notwithstanding any provision of this Ordinance, the Director may, upon application in that behalf by any person in such form as the Director may specify, grant to the person, upon such conditions as he thinks fit, a special permit in writing for the purposes of any of the provisions of sections 4, 5, 7(1) and (2), 8, 9 and 17C(3).

Cap 170 s 18 Offences and penalty
Any person who-
(a) contravenes section 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15A(3) or 17C(3); (Amended 58 of 1980 s. 10; 77 of 1996 s. 13)
(b) without lawful excuse fails to comply with a requirement of an authorized officer under section 17(1); or
(c) wilfully resists or obstructs an authorized officer exercising any power under or pursuant to section 17(2), 17A or 17B, (Amended 77 of 1996 s. 13)
shall be guilty of an offence and-
(i) in the case of a contravention of section 4, 5, 8 or 9, shall be liable on conviction to a fine at level 6 and to imprisonment for 1 Year;

HOWEVER, it wild pigs specifically aren't "wild animals" by definition. See Cap 170 Sched 2 PROTECTED WILD ANIMALS which lists everything except pigs.

This is pretty odd, as other introduced species, such as macaque monkeys, are included.

and Local Protected Wild Animals
"Wild pigs are the largest wild animal in Hong Kong and are not protected under law. They are often found in the rural areas in Sai Kung, Tai Lam Chung and Sha Tau Kok. They occasionally cause damage to farm crops and lawns of golf courses. Villagers and members of the public may report to the police when wild pigs are causing threats to life and property."


Despite that though, you would have a hard time to legally hunt them. Guns (and any other lethal weapons) are very, very tightly controlled in HK.:

http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/200812/17/P200812170209.htm
In Hong Kong, there are at present two wild pig hunting teams consisting of civilian volunteers. Members of the hunting teams must have special permits issued by the AFCD under the Wild Animals Protection Ordinance (Chapter 170) and arms licences issued by the Police before they are able to participate in wild pig hunting.

Hmm in California we hunted wild pigs with a bow and arrow. But that could still have some range, and I don't think we should do that for the ones in my friends yard near Tai peng/po wah yuen, in between. Too many dogs, kids, village houses.

What about a big knife strapped to a piece of bamboo? not thrown, rather used in a thrusting manner.

I mean the pig ought to have a chance to get me too!

Ooops! Terrible mistake, terrible illogic from my side!
Of course I had on mind the hunting is illegal.
From the other hand it looks like I was right suggesting there may be poachers on Lamma. Your crave for the blood and adrenaline from piercing the big "with a big knife on a bamboo stick" says the hunting instincts are deep in the minds of the otherwise quiet citizens of Lamma.

The correct way to kill boars is to get it to charge you, then plant your spear in the ground and let it impale itself.

"A boar spear is a spear used for boar hunting. It is relatively short and heavy and has two "lugs" or "wings" on the spearsocket behind the blade, which act as a barrier to prevent an injured and furious boar from working its way up the shaft of the spear to attack the hunter."

This is entirely new concept of a role of Forum Moderator!

Good advice, Not very moderate at all, but appreciated.

I have hunted with the type of spear I described. Of course, hunting is defined as "pursuing an animal" I have never actually taken an animal that way, mnostly tried for racoons that were taking rations out of my rucksack as a soldier. That was valuable stuff to us.

I HAVE broke a couple of my Uncle Sams bayonets and a couple of my knives.

With my height and the length of the spear I will have to kneel on the ground and get the pig to charge, I think that will be quite a difficult situation to set up.

We could invite some of our Guangdong neighbours to deal with our wild animals. According to a report in today's SCMP they are rather partial to eating wild game - more so than any other part of China.

According to the article a staggering 84% of people from Guangzhou ate some kind of wild animal last year. I was wondering why there are fewer wading birds passing through Lamma this autumn. Now I know the likely reason.

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Rarely a year has ever gone by that I haven't had wild game if some sort or another. Duck, venison, and bahr mostly. If u don't count fish and shellfish. It is all part of a normal diet in rural North America.

It was interesting to see. Apparently, at least as I could understand from the shape of the sand heaps and the concentration of crab holes around it, the carcass disappears quickly in the sand with help of crabs digging underneath.

Rambler,

So you went back there to take the picture above?

How did you get to Coleman's Beach at all, very tough to hike there. Canoe? OC1?
I'd love to get there, one of the very few places on Lamma I've never visited yet, only heard all the wild stories about, and seen the ancient videos of wild parties....

Maybe we should make a little detour during our next Mt. Stenhouse ascent next month? We were planning to go up last weekend, starting at 7am, but several of the "expedition members", including myself, got quite sick just the day or two before.
Some have suggested started another Lamma rumour of "The Curse of Mt Stenhouse", following up on that unlucky guy found dead up there quite a few years ago.

Rambler, want to guide some of us hiking to Coleman's Beach, down from Mt Stenhouse or via Lo So Shing or via the shortest route up from the SKW estuary bridge, perhaps?

Map below, 1 is Lo So Shing, "Shan Tei Tong" is Mt Stenhouse. Last time we went up from Lo So Shing beach, steeper but shorter. There was a bush path cleared some years ago from there along the coast to Coleman's Beach, but overgrown again by now, according to the clearers.

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A friend and I tried to contour along to that beach from Lo So Shing about eight years ago, as I recall we reached it but getting there was horrible. There was a path but it was very overgrown and we chose not to follow it back, we went straight up to the cliffs on that side of Stenhouse and down the main path from there to LSS.