Safety of Hong Kong’s hikers rests on following the rules
- Deaths in Hong Kong country park are a sad reminder of risks involved in entering the city’s famed green wilderness
Hong Kong’s country parks are great attractions for visitors and residents alike. With hundreds of kilometres of trails stretching around the island and into the New Territories, it is easy to escape from the 7.5 million people living here to find peace and solitude on a well-maintained path.
It is common to see wild boars, monkeys, snakes and insects, while black kites circle the skies hunting for prey.
Yet we are reminded all too often that the Hong Kong wilderness can be a treacherous place. On Sunday, a mainland tourist died after falling off a cliff in Lion Rock Country Park. The 37-year-old man, who fell while climbing, was airlifted to hospital in Chai Wan, only to be pronounced dead.
That same day, a 62-year-old Hong Kong security guard finished a hike in the same park, called his wife, and told her he was on his way home.
Later, she reported him missing and searchers found him unresponsive in the woods off MacLehose Trail near Beacon Hill. It is not yet clear what caused his death.
The tourist was not the first to fall off Lion Rock. It is listed as one of 20 high-risk locations identified on the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation website. Signs are posted in these areas, and visitors are warned of dangers.
The website reminds hikers to wear the right gear, avoid high-risk activities, and not to overestimate their ability or use trails that are not maintained.
The number of incidents is on the rise. More than 800 called police for help in 2022 and the first nine months of 2023. The Fire Services Department handled more than 1,014 search and rescue call-outs in 2022, 589 of them involving injuries, 20 of them deaths.
Some activities, which carry warnings in many languages, defy common sense.
People are asking for trouble if they use selfie sticks or mobile phones at sheer drops, climb or hike past warning signs, risk floods or landslides during heavy rain, or go off trail near rough seas. Those who touch or feed boars or monkeys also risk being bitten.
In 2023, there were 13 million visits to the 46 parks and special areas covering 443 sq km of wild Hong Kong. The situation is impossible for authorities to police. The onus must be on those who use the parks to be prepared and heed warnings.
Lives depend on it.
