India, Oct. 23 -- Cattle once served as working animals for farmers in Hong Kong, but changing economic conditions eventually led to the decline of cattle farming. Then, in the 1970s, some cattle were abandoned and began roaming freely. Generations later, the animals have become a distinctive feral population, living with little of the human management that shaped domestic cattle.

Now, their DNA is offering clues to what happened after that change. A 2026 genome study sequenced 30 Hong Kong feral cattle and compared them with 116 cattle from four major populations. The results revealed a population that retained surprisingly high genetic diversity despite its small size, while also carrying genetic signatures linked to its long history o...