A twelfth monkey has died at a Hong Kong zoo, with tests currently being conducted to determine if it succumbed to the same bacterial infection that killed 11 other monkeys in the past 10 days. The De Brazza’s monkey had been in isolation since 13 October when the first eight deaths were reported. Autopsies revealed a significant amount of sepsis-inducing bacteria that likely originated from contaminated soil near the primates’ enclosures, according to authorities. Workers who were digging up soil near the cages are suspected to have brought in contaminated soil on their shoes, as reported by Hong Kong’s Culture, Sports, and Tourism Secretary to local broadcaster RTHK. The risk of the infection spreading to humans is deemed “fairly low” by Dirk Pfeiffer, a veterinary epidemiologist at the City University of Hong Kong. He noted that soil contamination is often underreported in Asia, but “it is always worrying if multiple mortalities suddenly occur in captive animal populations where this has not happened before”. The 11 monkeys previously found dead include critically endangered cotton-top tamarins, white-faced sakis, common squirrel monkeys, and a De Brazza’s monkey. Authorities stated that they died from melioidosis, an infectious disease that can spread through contact with contaminated soil, air, or water. It is caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, a soil-dwelling bacteria strain endemic in tropical and sub-tropical regions. The twelfth monkey passed away on Tuesday, with initial results indicating that it also had “similar lesions… in the tissues of its organs”, officials reported. While the health of the remaining 78 mammals in the zoo was described as “normal” by authorities, the mammals section has been closed since 14 October for disinfection and cleaning. The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens, the city’s oldest park spread over 14 acres, is at the center of the city. Animal rights group Peta expressed concerns about the risk of zoonotic diseases like monkeypox, which can spread from animals to humans. “The only way to ensure the emotional and physical health of animals and prevent further deaths and the spread of zoonotic diseases is to stop imprisoning them for ‘entertainment’ and instead focus on protecting their natural habitats,” Peta’s campaign manager Abigail Forsyth told the BBC. The earliest report of melioidosis in Hong Kong dates back to the mid-1970s, when 24 dolphins suddenly died of the disease in Ocean Park, a theme park.
