HONG KONG — Nine monkeys died in Hong Kong’s oldest zoo in two days this week after contracting an endemic disease, probably as a result of digging near their cages, officials said on Friday.
Kevin Yeung, Secretary for Culture, Sports, and Tourism, stated in a news briefing that the animals at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens contracted melioidosis, which led to sepsis.
Yeung emphasized that such infections are mainly caused by contact with polluted soil and water and that there is often no risk to humans from contact with diseased animals or people.
“We’re saddened by the passing of the nine monkeys,” he told me.
Eight monkeys were discovered dead on Sunday, and another died Monday after exhibiting odd behavior. The creatures that died were a De Brazza’s monkey, a common squirrel monkey, four white-faced sakis, and three cotton-top tamarins, all of which are severely endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
9 Monkeys Who Died In Hong Kong’s Zoo In 2 Days Had Been Infected With Melioidosis, Officials Say
Melioidosis is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, which can be found in soil and muddy water.
Yeung stated that in early October, the park dug to fix some irrigation lines under the flower bed near the monkey cages and that the deaths could be related to this.
He speculated that the monkeys may have come into touch with the disease after park officials stepped into their cages wearing possibly contaminated shoes. Another possibility is that some infected monkeys came into close touch with other monkeys, he said.
“The incubation period for melioidosis in primates is about a week and this matched with the period after the soil digging work,” he told me.
According to Edwin Tsui, the center’s controller, the incident occurred in a single zone and will have a minimal impact on Hong Kong residents.
9 Monkeys Who Died In Hong Kong’s Zoo In 2 Days Had Been Infected With Melioidosis, Officials Say
Yeung convened an urgent interdepartmental meeting on Monday with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, and the Department of Health to discuss the deaths.
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, the former British colony’s oldest park, officially opened to the public in 1871. It is a unique urban oasis in the financial hub’s central Central District, which was reclaimed by China in 1997.
SOURCE | AP
