Hong Kong authorities are investigating the deaths of eight monkeys found dead at a Hong Kong zoo, which was partly closed on Monday for disinfection, with necropsies launched to ascertain the cause of the animals’ deaths.
The Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD) issued a statement shortly after midnight on Monday to announce the deaths of one De Brazza’s monkey, one common squirrel monkey, three cotton-top tamarins and three white-faced sakis. All of the animals had been kept at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens in Central.
LCSD said the monkeys had died on Sunday. The department had liaised with the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department and authorities were awaiting the results of necropsies and laboratory tests to find out the cause of the monkeys’ deaths, the statement said.
The Mammals Section of the zoo was closed on Monday for disinfection and cleaning works, the statement said, without specifying the duration of the closure. Other facilities such as the botanical garden remained open.
“We will also closely monitor the health conditions of other animals,” LCSD said in the statement.
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens are currently home to about 158 birds, 93 mammals and 21 reptiles, living in about 40 enclosures, according to its 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.
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens opened to the public in 1871. It is the oldest park in the city.
