There's no monkey business here, just a sad tale of loss, and many questions of why. Several critically endangered monkeys have died over a period of just two days.
The incident happened at a zoo in Hong Kong. Zoo officials revealed that the primates contracted melioidosis. According to CBS News, Kevin Yeung, secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism confirmed the tragic news at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens. For those that don't know, melioidosis is "a bacterial infection in people and animals." It's spread through "is spread through contact with contaminated soil, air, or water."
Monkeys Die At Zoo
"We're saddened by the passing of the nine monkeys," the official said. "The incubation period for melioidosis in primates is about a week and this matched with the period after the soil digging work."
On October 13, eight monkeys died from the disease. On the following day, another monkey passed away. What makes this especially so devastating is also that several of these monkeys are critically endangered. The nine dead monkeys include a De Brazza's monkey, a common squirrel monkey, three cotton-top tamarins, and four white-faced sakis.
The cotton-top tamarins "are one of the most endangered species of primates in the world." There's less than 6,000 of the animals remaining in the wild. With the species so low, then devastation like this can be costly. Another De Brazza's monkey showed signs of an infection. But zoo officials say that it appears to be in stable condition as of now.
Zoo officials don't predict that the illness will spread to visitors. Still, I have to ask how can we avoid something like this from happening again? Zoos need to do better at protecting their animals from harm.
