11 Animals Infected With COVID-19, Hong Kong Orders Culling Of 2,000 Hamsters

Hamster illustration. (Unsplash/Bonnie Kittle)

JAKARTA - Hong Kong warned people not to kiss pets and ordered the mass culling of hamsters on Tuesday, angering animal lovers, after 11 rodents tested positive for COVID-19.

The recent cluster of coronaviruses in humans traced to pet shop workers prompted examinations of hundreds of animals in the Chinese-controlled territory, with 11 hamsters found to be infected, officials said.

Echoing mainland China's zero-tolerance policy, even as much of the world turns to living with COVID, Hong Kong ordered 2,000 hamsters 'humanely' culled, with imports and sales halted.

Pet shops were closed and disinfected around the city, while people in protective gear roamed the shops in the heart of the cluster in the bustling Causeway Bay District.

Local people belonging to the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals group, which runs a veterinary clinic, urged reconsideration of this decision.

"The SPCA is shocked and concerned by the government's recent announcement of the handling of more than 2,000 small animals, which did not take into account animal welfare and human-animal bonding," they said.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Sophia Chan told a news conference that authorities were acting with caution even though there was no evidence that pets could infect humans.

"Pet owners should maintain good hygiene practices, including washing hands after touching animals, handling food or other items, and avoiding kissing animals," Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Director Leung Siu-fai Leung told reporters.

Leung said Hong Kong hamsters had to be culled because it was impossible to quarantine and observe each one. Buyers of hamsters after December 22, 2021, should hand them over to authorities for culling and not leave them on the streets, he added.

A hotline for inquiries is being set up, while about 150 pet shop customers will be quarantined, officials said.

Hamster illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/뭘로할까)

Please note, Hong Kong has also tested rabbits and chinchillas but only hamsters have tested positive. All of them were imported from the Netherlands, according to local broadcaster RTHK. Outside of Hong Kong, cases of the coronavirus have also been found in dogs and cats, although scientists say there is no evidence that animals play a major role in transmission in humans.

Last September, three pet cats that tested positive for the coronavirus were stationed in the Chinese city of Harbin, prompting a backlash on social media.

Elsewhere, Denmark culled millions of minks in 2020 to curb COVID-19 mutations. While some regions of Russia have already inoculated animals against COVID-19 after Moscow said it had registered the world's first vaccine for animals after tests with dogs, cats, foxes, and minks.

Nikolaus Osterrieder, dean of the Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences at the City University of Hong Kong explained, the chain of transmission from humans to animals to humans is rare but does happen like the case of minks.

Hamster illustration. (Unsplash/Jiří Suchý)

"This is clearly a drastic measure but is a consequence of zero COVID (rules). Hamsters are very susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 and can produce the virus in large numbers," he explained of the steps taken by Hong Kong.

Separately, the Global welfare group World Animal Protection said it was premature. "Cultivation of animals should always be a last resort and we encourage governments to explore other options, such as quarantine, first," said lead researcher Jan Schmidt-Burbach.

After three months without local transmission, Hong Kong has seen dozens of human cases of the novel coronavirus this year, triggering new restrictions on flights and social life.

Thousands of people have been sent to government emergency quarantine facilities. Most of the new cases were of the new, highly contagious Omicron variety, although the group traced to pet shop workers was the Delta variant.