Dead pig found on Hong Kong beach amid African swine fever fears
- Woman made the grisly discovery on Thursday morning
- No official confirmation of the animal’s origin or cause of death
A dead pig found on a beach on an outlying island in Hong Kong on Thursday sparked an investigation into where it came from amid concerns over an African swine fever epidemic in mainland China.
The metre-long carcass was found by a woman on a beach near the Bela Vista Villa holiday resort on Cheung Chau shortly before 10.30am, police said.
A force spokesman said it seemed the carcass had washed ashore. He said workers from the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) were called in to collect it.
A spokeswoman for the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) said the pig was sent to Tai Lung Veterinary Laboratory in Sheung Shui for testing. The government said late on Thursday that the carcass tested negative for African swine fever.
The find comes at a fraught time for Hong Kong’s pork industry.
The city recently strengthened protections against African swine fever in response to its spread across the mainland. New measures included strict rules on culling livestock.