Letters | Hong Kong’s hamster cull sends the message that pets are disposable

Culling hamsters, which are considered companion animals, is not the same as culling chickens for epidemic prevention
By telling people to hand over their hamsters to be euthanised, the government is casting them as ‘damaged goods’ to be returned. This adversely affects the public perception of animal rights

Coronavirus Hong Kong

Letters

Published: 7:30am, 26 Jan 2022

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Whether Hong Kong should kill hamsters and other small mammals when there is a lack of scientific evidence they could transmit Covid-19 to humans is the subject of much discussion today. We would like people to think about the implications of the government advising the public to hand their pets over to be killed.

Studies suggest ferrets are highly susceptible to Sars-CoV-2 as well. New variants can arise in ferrets, which can spread the disease within their own species. How do people in the West deal with ferrets?

The Welsh government recommends those who own ferrets isolate them for 21 days if their owners are self-isolating and if the ferrets have recently returned with their owners from a foreign country. It has yet to recommend any culling measures.

No government should recommend people hand over their pets or companion animals to be euthanised just because the animal is potentially infected with Covid-19. This is inherently different from culling chickens during the bird flu epidemic.

A pet or companion animal is considered part of the family. This is not only a matter of emotional connections between owners and their pets but an ethical issue.

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Hong Kong to kill 2,000 hamsters after Covid-19 found in rodents at pet shop

How does our society teach us what a “pet” is? The social norms on the treatment of companion animals follow deontological and rights approaches. From this perspective, all sentient beings – those that are conscious and can suffer – should be regarded as having basic rights and as being “persons”. Companion animals are not property but family based on our social teachings, and they have inherent value and rights.

We cannot blame the owners who abandoned their hamsters even though they were bought before December 22. By telling people to hand over their hamsters to be euthanasised, the Hong Kong government is advocating the concept of “returning damaged goods” to the public. This adversely affects the perception of animal rights.

What is normal procedure if your companion animal is sick and or potentially infectious? See your vet. Isolate, test and treat it. This is what the government should recommend.

If companion animals must be given up and killed when they are infectious, should we still consider them family members? Or should we view them as cherished property?

The animal rights movement in Hong Kong is regressing as seen in the frequent shifts in principles and values. That is why Hong Kong is one of the few places to cull companion animals during the pandemic.

Natalie Wong, Christian Chan and Audrey Leung, Kowloon Tong

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