HONG KONG – Nine monkeys who died at Hong Kong’s oldest zoo over two days this week were infected with an endemic disease and may have died after some digging work near their cages, officials said Friday.
Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Yeung Yun-hung said at a press conference that animals in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens were infected with melioidosis, which later led to sepsis.
Yang stressed that such infections usually occur through contact with contaminated soil and water, and contact with infected animals or humans usually does not pose a risk to humans.
“We are saddened by the passing of nine monkeys,” he said.
Eight monkeys were found dead on Sunday and another died on Monday after displaying unusual behavior. The animals that died included a Debraza monkey, a common squirrel monkey, four white-faced saki monkeys and three cotton-top tamarins – a species listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.
Melioidosis is caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, a bacterium found widely in soil and muddy water, according to Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection.
Yang said that the park was carrying out excavation work under the flower beds near the monkey cage in early October to repair some irrigation pipes, and the death may be related to this.
He said the monkeys may have been exposed to the bacteria after park staff walked into the monkeys’ cages wearing potentially contaminated shoes. Another possibility, he said, is that some infected monkeys were in close contact with other monkeys.
“The incubation period for melioidosis in primates is about a week, which is consistent with the time after excavation work,” he said.
Xu Weiwen, the head of the center, said that the incident only occurred in a single area and had very little impact on Hong Kong residents.
Yeung held an emergency inter-departmental meeting on Monday with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and Department of Health over the deaths.
Another monkey at Debraza also showed unusual behavior and appetite, but officials said its condition remained stable Friday.
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens is the oldest park in the former British colony and was fully opened to the public in 1871.