The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (“AFCD”) announced today (18 January 2022) that approximately 2,000 animals will be seized and euthanised over concerns of animal-to-human transmission of COVID-19. This will include 1,000 hamsters and other animals from the pet store Little Boss in Causeway Bay and its animal warehouse in Tai Po, and any hamsters being sold in pet stores across Hong Kong. The AFCD further announced that any hamsters purchased on or after 22 December 2021 should be handed over to the AFCD for testing and euthanisation. It was further ordered that pet stores selling hamsters are to stop sales immediately, and a ban on the import of hamsters has been imposed.

The government’s concern arises after an employee of Little Boss tested positive with the Delta variant of COVID-19 on Sunday. Genome sequencing on a sample from the employee revealed the genome type (L452R) to be one circulating in Europe. It is suspected that the employee was infected by the hamsters imported from the Netherlands on 22 December 2021. It is reported that a further batch of hamsters was imported into Hong Kong from the Netherlands on 7 January 2022.

Sources report that when asked whether the euthanisation of the hamsters shows a lack of respect for life, Dr. Leung Siu Fai (director of AFCD) responded that 11 samples taken from the hamsters sold in Little Boss Causeway Bay returned positive for COVID-19, and euthanisation is the safest approach in view of public health concerns.