Hong Kong pet store owner calls for better communication from authorities as stores reopen after temporary closure

Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department allows pet shops selling hamsters to reopen on Sunday

Pet store owner voices concern over possible testing regulations for hamsters, says business with overseas breeders could drop

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A pet store owner has urged the government to be clear about any potential restrictions on hamster imports. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 7:17pm, 30 Jan 2022Updated: 1:56pm, 18 May 2023

The owner of a pet shop chain that was forced to close after Hong Kong faced unprecedented suspected hamster-to-human coronavirus transmissions has urged the government to improve communication with the industry as some affected stores were allowed to reopen on Sunday.

The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has allowed pet shops selling hamsters to reopen on Sunday following a government-ordered cull of 2,000 animals, prompted by possible cases of coronavirus transmission to humans.

Pet shops that have been thoroughly disinfected and have passed all environmental swab tests would be able to resume business, the department announced in a late-night press release on Saturday.

But Alan Cheng, owner of the pet store chain Mini Zoo, urged authorities to set up a communication channel with the industry to discuss how to resume hamster imports, adding that he was only notified about the reopening on Saturday.

He said that his two stores would only sell their existing animals, such as chinchillas and rabbits, when business resumed after the Lunar New Year holiday.

“At this stage, we do not have a plan to import any small animals. This is because all hamsters imports remain banned, and thus we do not want to make any orders,” he said. “Even if the import is resumed, I believe that the import restrictions would be tightened. I want to wait until the restrictions are made clear first.”