About five monkeys reportedly entered the platform area of Hilton Centre in Sha Tin on August 4, in what a report described as at least the third monkey incident at the private estate this year. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department said it had increased patrols near the site and would continue monitoring the situation.
The reported incidents included a monkey entering an apartment while looking for food in January. On July 26, more than 10 monkeys reportedly climbed the exterior wall of a building to about the 10th floor, possibly seeking shelter from a typhoon. The animals’ actual motivation has not been established.
District councillor Tang Hin-fung expressed concern that the group might be treating residential areas as its territory. He also said food offerings left during the Hungry Ghost Festival could attract monkeys and wild boars into urban areas. The report did not establish that the offerings caused or increased the activity.
The department said Hilton Centre was close to monkey habitat and believed the monkeys were appearing nearby in search of food. It did not provide the outcome of the increased patrols or confirm whether further incursions had occurred after August 4.
The report also described monkey sightings near railway tracks at MTR stations in Kowloon Bay and Tsuen Wan. A monkey was reportedly seen near the Kowloon Bay tracks on July 23, while another entered the track area near Tsuen Wan station on July 24.
The department captured two adult male rhesus macaques in connection with the railway-area activity. It intended to sterilise them and release them in suitable country parks, while the situation around Hilton Centre remained under monitoring.