Tigers Roamed the Forests of Hong Kong as Recently as 1965

If you ever go hiking on one of Hong Kong’s 579 mountains, being attacked by a tiger shouldn’t be one of your concerns. Monkeys may steal your snacks, wild boars may charge at you, and you might get bitten by a snake. The chances of spotting a tiger, however, are almost none. But that wasn’t always the case.

In 1915, an English policeman and an Indian constable were attacked and killed by a tiger in Sheung Shui, in the New Territories, on the border with Mainland China. In 1937, a woman was eaten whole by a tiger, leaving only her bloodstains on Victoria Peak, on Hong Kong Island.

In 1942, during the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong, a tiger was spotted near the Stanley Internment Camp, on the southern edge of Hong Kong Island, terrorizing inmates and guards alike. The tiger was eventually shot by Japanese gendarmes.

Since then, however, the number of sightings in Hong Kong has dwindled, with the last account of a tiger dating from 1965, when a schoolgirl reported seeing a tiger on Tai Mo Shan, in the northwestern New Territories. Due to the lack of evidence—such as paw prints or missing cattle, for instance—this sighting was never confirmed.

Since then, neither attacks nor sightings of a tiger have been reported in Hong Kong. If you enjoy hiking, this is probably for the best.