The seventh victim in 10 days, he died at the city zoo. A De Brazza’s monkey had been under isolation since 13 October after the first eight deaths were reported.
Autopsies found a large amount of sepsis-inducing bacteria likely coming from contaminated soil near the primates’ enclosures, authorities said.
Workers digging near the cages likely brought contaminated soil into the habitat through their shoes,” the Culture, Sports, and Tourism Secretary said in an interview with local broadcaster RTHK.
The critically endangered cotton-top tamarins, white-faced sakis, common squirrel monkeys, and a De Brazza’s monkey are among those killed.
Authorities said they died due to melioidosis, an infectious disease that can spread through contact with contaminated soil, air, or water. It is caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, a soil-dwelling bacterium strain endemic in tropical and subtropical regions.
Similar lesions were also found in the tissues of the organs of the monkey that died today,\” the Leisure & Cultural Services Department said.
The zoo has 78 of them, according to the agency, which added that the health conditions of all these are “normal.”
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, the city’s oldest park covering 14 acres in the city center, has shut down its mammal section since 14 October for disinfection and cleaning.
Last week, Jason Baker, Peta’s senior vice president, told Reuters that a death toll is raising concerns about the risk of zoonotic diseases such as monkeypox – which is borne by animals but transferred to humans.
“Monkeys in captivity are very often exposed to pathogens that can then be transferred to humans, including tuberculosis, Chagas disease, cholera, and MRSA,” he added.
Melioidosis was first reported in Hong Kong in 1975 and 1976, when 24 dolphins in Ocean Park, an animal theme park, died of the disease suddenly.
