Hamster owners drop off their beloved pets following Hong Kong government’s mass-kill order

Hong Kong hamster owners have begun heeding the government’s call to surrender their pets as part of a mass killing sparked by suspicions of a possible animal-to-human transmission of Covid-19. Dozens of people showed up on January 19, 2022, at the New Territories South Animal Management Centre in Sha Tin to hand over their hamsters to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department.