MUIRHEAD`S MYSTERIES: SOME IMPORTANT COMMENTS ON THE FAUNA OF HONG KONG

I came across some notes off the Hong Kong Wildlife.net Forum from October 2006 a few days ago which whilst old, ( I presume 2006-10-6 means October 6th 2006 though of course it may mean June 10th 2006) are very important because they throw up a few mysteries and the value of amateur research out there in what is worryingly becoming known as Greater China in some media outlets. Worrying for geo-political events I mean.

 The communications  concerned a fauna survey of Dowell Hill Country Park, which I`ve not been able to locate on the Net. On October 6th `BWA` comments on wild boar, barking deer,otters bats and monkeys.

On the same day Blue-Owen mentions "microphone Bobcats" ,but although there are leopard cats there have only ever been two reports on bobcats or lynx in HK and that was before 2006. One was an Eurasian lynx in 1961 in the New Territories. "Microphone bobcats" may mean leopard cats being tracked by a
tagging device. The bob cat is traditionally an American animal. Blue Owen also uses the phrase "red-bellied squirrels." ,but this is endemic to Sulawesi in Indonesia. There are also red-bellied squirrels in Taiwan.
Styan`s squirrel is in HK,  see below, image from HKWildlife.net. Unidentified squirrels have been reported from HK but not red-bellied. As far as I know.









`Eco` says on 6-10-06 :" In view of the geographical distribution of
animals,  cats have been spotted in Hong Kong there should be the following:
the South China Tiger (Panthera tigris); leopard (Panthera pardus);clouded
leopard (Neofilis nebulosa); Asian golden cat (Catopuma temminckii); ocelot
(Felis bengalensis) ;cloud cat ( Felis marmorata) ; fishing cat (Felis
viverrina) ; jungle cat (Felis Chaus) ...Ocelots may have once been in Hong
Kong and "clouded leopards are also recorded in the past appeared in Hong
Kong: December 28,1990,one clouded leopard is found in Shantung St, Mong
Kok...when it was huddled in a trolley at the end,claws". (Emphasis
mine.Remember this is the poor quality Google translation.) "Finally by the
time the 5 staff members with a set of dogs...(it) was sent to Hong Kong
Zoological and Botanical Gardens as a temporary shelter."