A twelfth monkey has died at a Hong Kong zoo, tests are continuing to determine if it was infected with the same virus that killed 11 other monkeys in the past 10 days.
The De Brazza monkey had been in isolation since October 13 when the first eight individuals were reported to have died.
Autopsies found large numbers of sepsis-causing bacteria that may have come from contaminated soil near the monkeys’ enclosures, authorities said.
Workers who were digging soil near the cages are believed to have brought in contaminated soil through their shoes, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism told local broadcaster RTHK.
The risk of the virus spreading to humans is “very low,” said Dirk Pfeiffer, a veterinary epidemiologist at the City University of Hong Kong.
He added that soil pollution is often under-reported in Asia but “it’s always worrying when there are sudden mass deaths of animals in captivity where it didn’t happen before”.
The 11 monkeys previously found dead include the critically endangered cotton-top tamarins, as well as white-faced sakis, common squirrel monkeys and De Brazza’s monkey.
Authorities say they died of melioidosis, an infectious disease that can be spread through contact with soil, air or contaminated water.
It is caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei, a type of soil-dwelling bacteria found in tropical and subtropical regions.
The twelfth monkey died on Tuesday and preliminary results showed that it also had “similar lesions… in the tissues of its organs,” officials said.
While authorities say the health of the 78 remaining mammals at the zoo is “normal”, the mammal section has been closed since October 14 for disinfection and cleaning.
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens is the oldest park in the city and sits at its heart, spread over 14 hectares.
Animal rights organization Peta said it is concerned about the risk of zoonotic diseases such as 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 being tied to ‘entertainment’ and instead focus on protecting their natural habitats,” Peta campaign manager Abigail Forsyth told the BBC. .
The first report of melioidosis in Hong Kong dates back to the mid-1970s, when 24 dolphins suddenly died of the disease at Ocean Park, a theme park.
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