Dutch hamsters suspected in Hong Kong corona outbreak | Abroad

Last week, a 23-year-old pet store employee discovered the delta variant. The same mutation was found in eleven hamsters that were imported from the Netherlands. Authorities fear that this is the first infection in Hong Kong in which the virus has jumped from animal to human.

No risk

Although further investigation has yet to determine whether the employee was indeed infected by a hamster, the government has decided not to run any risk. On Tuesday, an order was given to remove 2,000 rodents from dozens of pet stores. In addition to hamsters, this also concerns rabbits and chinchillas.

In addition, anyone who has bought a hamster in the past few days must give up the animal to put it to sleep. The owner himself must be in central quarantine. Customers who bought a hamster at the end of December must also have themselves and their pet tested. If the test is positive, the owner must be quarantined.

Pet Shop

The pet store has announced that it will close the doors of all its branches in order to thoroughly disinfect them. “The animals will be looked after every day so that the little ones lack nothing,” Little Boss wrote on Facebook.

Critical Hongkongers are responding en masse to the news on social media. An online petition against the cull of the rodents has been signed nearly 12,000 times in just a few hours. “With your help, we can convince the government that their decision is unjust and brutal,” writes the initiator. “Authorities must stop wrongfully putting pets to sleep,” wrote one person on Facebook. Critics are dissatisfied with the strict corona measures in the Chinese city and they believe that the government is going too far in its zero-tolerance policy.

stool

“You have to realize that infected hamsters have the virus in their feces. They can infect other animals, other hamsters, or people. We have to protect public health and have no choice,” said Thomas Sit of Agriculture, Fisheries and Nature Conservation.

His colleague calls on pet owners to be careful with their hygiene. “You should wash your hands after touching an animal or their food. Don’t kiss your pets,” said Leung Siu-fai.

Photos are circulating on Twitter of people in white hazemat suits standing in front of the pet store to collect the rodents. “Police have cordoned off the danger zone and are asking people to cross the road,” Hong Kong journalist Laurel Choi wrote on her Twitter.

Susceptible

It has been known for months that many pets are susceptible to the coronavirus. Last March, Chinese scientists identified 44 animal species that could be infected with Covid-19. Hong Kong reported the world’s first dog to test positive like its owner in 2020, but has not previously identified an animal-to-human infection. The first mink-on-human infection was reported in the Netherlands.

Hong Kong residents in defense

The local broadcaster RHTK reported that several animal owners subsequently handed in their pets to the government as a precaution. Initiatives have arisen on social media to save the pets that fate. A Telegram group for people who are willing to temporarily take over a hamster, now has about 3000 members. “Many animal owners are not aware of the exact risks and therefore get rid of their hamsters,” says one of the initiators.

An animal rights organization that also runs veterinary clinics in Hong Kong says “countless” concerned owners are approaching them for advice. “We urge pet owners not to panic or abandon their pets,” the organization said in a statement.

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