Chinese medicine hawker Chan Yat-biu, 90, became the centre of heated debate when his four-year-old pet monkey, Kam Ying, was confiscated by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department last month.
Mr Chan, also known as 'Uncle Bill', has learned that Kam Ying is now living happily with other monkeys at a Sheung Shui animal centre and learning survival techniques from them. Nonetheless, he is still engulfed by sadness whenever he thinks of his old companion.
Recently he was allowed to visit Kam Ying and had to fight back tears.
'I saw a big monkey holding her. They were locked inside a huge cage. She looked like she was crying.
'I've gone through all types of hardships in my time, but never before have I been so depressed.' Born in Guangdong, Mr Chan was sold as a child labourer at the age of 12 and eventually settled in Hong Kong. When he got older he started hawking Chinese medicine made from a family recipe.
As was common practice for Chinese medicine hawkers, he began travelling around with a pet monkey in order to attract customers' attention.
'It was very easy to get monkeys in the old days,' Mr Chan said. ' In some bird shops they were sold for $30.' With the passage of time, his reputation spread and he became a local celebrity in Kowloon City. For years, he worked with monkeys by his side.