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Part of the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens has been
sealed off and disinfected, and experts have been called in to
conduct necropsies and toxicological tests, Hong Kong leader
John Lee said in his weekly press briefing Tuesday.
Eight monkeys were found dead on Sunday, and another died Monday
after unusual behavior. The deceased animals included a De
Brazza’s monkey, a common squirrel monkey, four white-faced
sakis and three cotton-top tamarins — a species listed as
critically endangered by the International Union for
Conservation of Nature.
“Whenever we have any news, if there’s a new development, an
announcement should be made as soon as possible, so that
everyone can know about the facts,” Lee said.
On Monday, the Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin
Yeung held an urgent interdepartmental meeting about the deaths
with Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Agriculture,
Fisheries and Conservation Department and the Department of
Health. It said in a statement that another De Brazza’s monkey’s
behavior and appetite were found to be unusual, requiring
further observation.
But all 80 other animals in the gardens were in normal
condition, it added.
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens — the oldest park
in the former British colony — fully opened to the public in
1871. It is a rare urban oasis in the downtown Central district
of the financial hub which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
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