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Hong Kong leader John Lee has addressed the deaths of monkeys kept at a zoo in the city, saying the “problem must be contained” after a ninth animal died and the health of a 10th was being monitored.
The government issued a statement late Monday disclosing the death of another white-faced saki kept at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens in Central. The news followed an earlier announcement revealing the deaths of eight monkeys – including three critically endangered cotton-top tamarins – on Sunday.
The monkeys found dead also included a De Brazza’s monkey, a common squirrel monkey, and three other white-faced sakis. Another De Brazza’s monkey was being monitored after its movements and appetite were found to be “unusual” on Monday, according to the second statement.
An interdepartmental meeting led by Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Department of Health was held in response to the situation, the statement said.
During a regular press conference on Tuesday, Chief Executive Lee said authorities would “contain the problem” and closely monitor the health of the animals kept in the garden.
“We have to first contain the problem, to stop it from spreading,” Lee said in Cantonese, adding that the monkeys’ enclosures had been closed to the public for disinfection.
Lee said staff cleaning the animal cages or monitoring the situation must also properly protect themselves by donning protective gear and clothing.
He also said necropsies and toxicological testing had been performed on the monkeys and authorities were awaiting results to identify their cause of death.
“We hope that the investigations, especially for the toxicology tests, will be completed as soon as possible… so that we can tackle the problem in a targeted manner,” he said.
Authorities will make prompt announcement regarding latest developments and measures taken, he added.
Citing government sources, Ming Pao reported on Tuesday that experts believed the deaths were more likely a result of collective poisoning rather than infection, because in the latter case the monkeys would not have died within such a short timeframe. The answer would require the necropsy results, which could take a few days, the report said.
The mammals section of the zoo was closed for cleansing and disinfection on Monday. All 80 animals kept there were displaying normal health conditions, according to the second government statement on Monday.
Staff working in the zoo were also healthy, the statement said.
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens are home to about 158 birds, 93 mammals and 21 reptiles, living in about 40 enclosures, according to the website.
Among the mammals are a variety of monkeys, tamarins, and apes, as well as lemurs, meerkats, and otters.
Cotton-top tamarins, found only in northwestern Colombia, are critically endangered according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. De Brazza’s monkeys, common squirrel monkeys, and white-faced sakis are considered of least concern.
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