Nine monkeys drop dead in mysterious outbreak at popular zoo

Hong Kong’s oldest zoo is seeking answers after nine monkeys died in two days, including three members of a critically endangered species.

Eight monkeys were found dead on Sunday and another died on Monday after displaying unusual behaviour, zookeepers at Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens have said.

Areas have been sealed off and disinfected, and experts have been called in to carry out necropsies and toxicological tests, Hong Kong leader John Lee said.

The dead animals included a De Brazza’s monkey, a common squirrel monkey, four white-faced sakis and three cotton-top tamarins – a species listed as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

‘Whenever we have any news, if there’s a new development, an announcement should be made as soon as possible, so that everyone can know about the facts,’ Mr Lee said.

On Monday, Culture, Sports and Tourism Secretary Kevin Yeung held an urgent interdepartmental meeting about the deaths with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, and the Department of Health.

It said in a statement that the behaviour and appetite of another De Brazza’s monkey’s had been found to be unusual, requiring further observation.

But it added that all 80 of the other animals in the gardens are in a normal condition.