An injured buffalo has been euthanised after it was struck by a car on a Hong Kong highway on Wednesday morning, leaving it with a severely fractured leg, authorities have said.
Dashcam footage circulating online captured the moment the buffalo emerged from roadside shrubbery into the fast lane of a Yuen Long highway, where an oncoming vehicle was unable to brake in time.
The animal rolled over after hitting the ground and tried to stand up slowly but failed. Following the heavy impact, the buffalo was filmed wandering along the slow lane as traffic backed up towards Kowloon.
Photos show the animal’s back was wounded.
Police were alerted at 7.04am by a driver who had struck a buffalo on the Kowloon-bound Tsing Long Highway near the Tai Lam Tunnel.
The force later received multiple calls reporting an injured animal wandering on the highway, while others said they had spotted two additional buffaloes on the same stretch of road.
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department promptly dispatched personnel to the scene, where a veterinarian anaesthetised the severely injured adult male buffalo and transported it to the Cattle Management Centre for examination.
“The medical assessment confirmed a severe fracture in the buffalo’s left forelimb. Based on animal welfare considerations, the veterinarian has humanely euthanised the animal,” a department spokesman said.
To prevent further traffic and safety risks, staff also relocated two healthy male buffaloes found nearby to the centre for temporary shelter, he said, adding the animals remained in good health and would be released once a suitable wild location was identified.
The department noted its 2022 census showed that Hong Kong had about 180 buffaloes mostly distributed across Lantau and the central New Territories, adding the three involved were believed to be part of a Kam Tin stray herd.
The incident left some lanes on the Kowloon-bound Tsing Long Highway near Kam Sheung Road MTR station closed due to the incident, causing severe congestion in the area. The traffic disruption prompted some residents to take rail services, while two KMB bus routes were diverted.
The Transport Department announced at 10.55am that all lanes had reopened.
Online users expressed concern about the injured animal.
“Honestly, when you are driving, you should not just look at what is right in front of you; you need to be aware of your entire surroundings. If you managed to hit a buffalo that big coming out from the barrier, you’ve clearly got issues,” one wrote.
“You should have slowed down the moment you saw it from a distance. Now that the poor buffalo is injured, it might even have to be euthanised.”
Another wrote: “The vehicle behind saw it. How could the one that hit it not see it?” -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
