news
Tara waves goodbye Local resident, Scout Leader and longtime contributor of Sai Kung Magazine Tara Smyth will be leaving the town this month after 20 years. She will be relocating back to England to be closer to her daughters who are currently in boarding school and her husband’s new job. Reminising on her time in the town Tara says, first and foremost, she will miss the community. “We know everyone here and everyone knows us. The vibrant ladies in Mushroom Bakery, the entertaining and fun waiters at The Picture House, Jaspas, Piccolo and Casa, the helpful guys in Harrods, my fabulous car mechanic, the smiling chaps and lady at the petrol station, all the rescue-dog angels and Sing and Ling. They are all part of what makes Sai Kung so great.” As an avid hiker and explorer, Smyth and her trusty companion Foxy Loxy have ventured all over the mountains in our Big Day Out section. She will be missed dearly by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing and working with her.
End wildlife trade
Age of the hipsteaders The pandemic has given birth to a new type of species in Sai Kung – enter, the hipsteader. This individual celebrates a ‘simpler’ time when rural life was the norm, no economics, finance or politics. More and more Saikungers are now shopping at the farmer’s market or bulk stores, visiting craft fairs, making handsewn masks, baking sourdough and composting food waste. Catch their creations on Instagram accounts using the hashtags #instagramhomesteaders #farmher #faiththroughfarming
Pet supplies brand Whiskers N Paws (WNP) and WildAid have partnered up to support the #EndTheTrade campaign, with an aim to end the commercial trade of wildlife for consumption. From now until March 2021, WNP is supporting the campaign through a series of virtual activities and sales of the ‘Love Animal Love Life’ collection. All proceeds will contribute to WildAid’s wildlife conservation projects in Hong Kong. endthetrade.com
Pink dolphins get frisky The pink dolphin population has risen by 30 percent since high-speed ferry services between Hong Kong and Macau came to a standstill in February. The Indo-Pacific humpback dolphins, also known as pink dolphins, are native to the Pearl River estuary and listed as protected species in Hong Kong. There were 250 pink dolphins inhabiting the city’s waters in the 1990s, but over the last two decades, that number had dwindled to only 32, before the Covid-19 outbreak. Dr Lindsay Porter, a senior research scientist from the University of St Andrews, has been
12 | SAI KUNG
studying Hong Kong’s pink dolphins since 1993. “From visual observations the dolphins are spending much more time socialising, splashing around on the surface, quite a bit of foreplay, quite a bit of sex. Hong Kong dolphins normally live on the edge, they’re stressed, so it’s really great to see them playing and having a good time,” said Porter. To help protect the endangered species, she suggests making better use of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge and limiting the number of ferries running between Hong Kong and Macau.
