Humidity, sunshine and wild speed shape body condition of subtropical feral cattle

Heat stress alters feeding behaviours and growth in farmed cattle leading to fluctuations in body condition, but impacts in wild subtropical cattle remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate the impact of subtropical climate on feral cattle body condition score, an effective and non-invasive method used to evaluate health and fitness of ruminant populations. Over two-years, we used a 9-point scale to assess body condition of 179 adult cattle from 12 herds in Hong Kong, recording 4,336 scores. Males had higher body condition than females and provisioned cattle had higher body condition score that cattle These non-linear relationships between climate and body condition suggest subtropical cattle adapt to seasonal fluctuations.