Image copyright Sai Kung Buffalo watch Image caption The parks and reserves in Hong Kong house more than 1,200 cattle

Hong Kong may be better known as a dense urban jungle populated by concrete skyscrapers and masses of humanity.

But three-quarters of the city is actually composed of country parks and nature reserves: home to a variety of wild animals, including more than 1,200 cattle.

Occasionally, the feral herds clash with humans, with tragic consequences.

Images of a group of cattle apparently trying to rouse one of their own, after it had been hit by a car, are making the rounds on social media.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Cat Mok's video of the scene

A large black bull was struck on a road in the suburban district of Ma On Shan over the weekend.

Cat Mok, a 30-year-old laboratory assistant, was one of the first on the scene, passing by in a public bus and recording what she saw.

"The other cattle surrounded him, using their heads to butt him, to try to raise him up," she told BBC News.

"I saw with my own eyes how intelligent cows are. They, like us, have their own social structure, their own families, their own feelings."

Ms Mok said she shed tears for the animals, who are known for being gentle and lazy.

Stick together

Carol Biddell, co-founder of the Saikung Buffalo Watch, was alerted to the accident by a witness and rushed there.

She believes the bull suffered a broken leg and most likely died of internal injuries.

Ms Biddell said that, as part of her volunteer work, she has previously seen herds react to the death of a member.

Image copyright Sai Kung Buffalo watch Image caption Wild cattle are commonly seen in Hong Kong's suburban areas

"They do get very disturbed. And a lot of the smaller herds do stick together. So they sensed something was wrong. It's an instinct," she said.

According to Hong Kong's Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), there are two main groups of stray bovine in Hong Kong: water buffalo and brown cattle.

Both were used by local farmers for centuries as draught animals to plough rice fields.

But as agriculture declined in the 1970s, they were abandoned.

Their descendants became the wild cattle commonly seen in Hong Kong's suburban areas, particularly in the New Territories and on Lantau island.

Road safety

Ho Loy, chairwoman of the Lantau Buffalo Association, called the latest accident "heartbreaking".

"The public love the animals. We respect them. They are beautiful," she said. "I am really frustrated with the current government on the road safety issue."

Ms Ho said the accident was one of the most serious since a June 2013 hit-and-run that resulted in the deaths of a herd of eight wild cattle, most of them juveniles.

A British woman was later arrested and fined in relation to the incident.

Image copyright Sai Kung Buffalo watch Image caption Activist groups say the government should do more to protect the cattle

The activist said her group had urged the government to limit driving speeds in areas frequented by animals and install speed detecting cameras to enforce the rules.

"People care more about animals now than they did than 10 years ago, but government policy has not changed," Ms Ho added.

In a 2013 policy statement, the AFCD recognised "that the cattle and buffalo are part of the heritage of rural Hong Kong and that it brings pleasures to visitors and locals alike to see these animals in a natural environment."

But, in order to strike a balance between these views and the "nuisance" sometimes caused by the animals, the department had created a long-term animal management plan that included tagging and sterilisation.

The latest incident, and the interest generated on social media, may well reopen the debate on how to best protect Hong Kong's wild cattle.