Hong Kong is one of the planet's most densely packed urban areas. Not far from its concrete jungle is a real jungle with free-roaming wild cows and water buffalos. One woman is trying to save them.

As Hong Kong prepares to welcome the Year of the Snake on Wednesday, Chau Ka-ling displays a moving serpent with practiced ease, holding it like a pet in her decades-old restaurant in the city.

Gary Ades, the head of fauna conservation at Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, on the evolution of animal welfare and conservation in Hong Kong.