Hong Kong hamster cull: drastic measure necessary to prevent ‘another disaster’ caused by Delta’s spread, top Covid-19 expert explains

Leading microbiologist Professor Yuen Kwok-yung says the elderly will be at risk if the Delta variant of the coronavirus is leaked into the community

As the transmissibility or virulence of the mutated virus strain is not known, it is essential to prevent it from spreading across the city and beyond its borders

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The decision to cull the hamsters has sparked outrage among pet owners and animal welfare groups. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 12:14am, 20 Jan 2022Updated: 1:56pm, 18 May 2023

The Hong Kong government’s decision to cull 2,000 hamsters to contain a possible hamster-to-human transmission of the coronavirus has sparked outrage among pet owners and animal rights groups, who question whether the measure is too drastic or necessary.

Officials asked pet owners and shops to hand over 2,000 hamsters that had been imported in two batches since December 22 for tests and euthanisation on Tuesday, after 11 samples taken from hamsters in a Causeway Bay pet store came back positive. The shop’s employee, a customer and her husband were confirmed to be infected.

Dr Thomas Sit Hon-chung, assistant director of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD), said authorities had “no choice” but to make a “firm decision” to protect public and animal health.

Professor Yuen Kwok-yung. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

In a statement issued on Wednesday, leading microbiologist Yuen Kwok-yung further explained the justifications for the cull:

1. The Covid-19 vaccines, including Sinovac, are effective against the Delta variant but not effective against Omicron. Thus if everyone, especially the elderly, is vaccinated, there is no need to cull all hamsters related to this outbreak.

2. AFCD veterinarians are professional experts who can make such a decision. They have dealt with the H5N1 and H7N9 bird flu virus in 1997, 2002, 2004 and 2013. Other experts in microbiology and virology, public health and pulmonary medicine can only give their opinion from their perspective. More importantly, the AFCD does not have sufficient animal quarantine facilities, staff and testing capabilities.

3. When 33 per cent of our population and over half of our elderly residents are not inoculated, a large number of these unvaccinated elderly (possibly over 1,000 deaths by extrapolation) will die if the Delta variant leaks into our community.