NFT hamsters project launched in Hong Kong amid public backlash over Covid-19 cull

A non-fungible token (NFT) project featuring 2,000 pixel art hamsters has been launched in Hong Kong, after the public hit out at a government decision to cull the animals over the possible risk of Covid-19 transmission to humans.

Earlier this week, Hong Kong authorities asked pet shops and owners to hand over about 2,000 hamsters for a mass cull and temporarily suspended imports of small animals, after 11 samples taken from hamsters in a local pet store came back positive for Covid. The shopkeeper and a customer were confirmed to be infected with the same Delta variant.

The city government has not walked back its decision despite petitions calling for an end to the cull, and experts warning that it could lead to people abandoning their pets.

The NFT project, called Carries Hamsters – named after Hong Kong leader Carrie Lam - was launched on Thursday as hamster owners in the city started dropping off their pets at a government facility.

“We will not stand for the euthanising of our little hamsters,” read an Instagram post from the team announcing the project on Thursday. “To stand up, spread [the] word and positivity – 2,000 hamsters will be resurrected on the Solana blockchain with proceeds being directly donated to an animal charity combating the euthanising of animals,” the post said. The group’s profile specifies that only part of the proceeds will be donated to local charities.

The Solana blockchain boasts faster speeds and lower costs than blockchains such as Ethereum. NFTs, data stored on a blockchain that guarantees a digital asset as unique and immutable, swept the world last year, as people snapped up cartoon avatars, virtual property and digital artworks costing millions of dollars.