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Hong Kong zoo officials reveal what killed 9 monkeys, including endangered Tamarins
Nine monkeys – including three from a critically endangered species – who died in Hong Kong’s oldest zoo this week had been infected with an endemic disease, officials said on Friday.
The animals in the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens contracted melioidosis, possibly after some digging work near their cages, that later caused them to develop sepsis, Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism Kevin Yeung said in a press briefing.
Yeung stressed that such infections typically occur through contact with contaminated soil and water and that there is generally no danger to humans from contact with infected animals or people.
“We’re saddened by the passing of the nine monkeys,” he said.
Eight monkeys were found dead on Sunday and another died Monday after displaying unusual behavior, officials said earlier this week. The deceased animals were a De Brazza’s Monkey, one Common Squirrel Monkey, three Cotton-top Tamarins and four White-faced Sakis.
Philippe Clement/Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Cotton-top Tamarins — a type of small, tree-dwelling monkey native to the tropical forests of South America — are considered one of the most endangered species of primates in the world.
Fewer than 6,000 of the monkeys are left in the wild, according to the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
What is melioidosis?
According to Hong Kong’s Center for Health Protection, melioidosis is caused by the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, which is widespread in soils and muddy water.
Yeung said the park conducted digging work to repair some irrigation pipes under the flower bed near the monkey cages in early October and that the deaths might be related to that.
He said the monkeys might have come into contact with the bacteria after the park’s staff walked into their cages with possibly contaminated shoes. Another possibility is that some infected monkeys had close contact with other monkeys, he said.
“The incubation period for melioidosis in primates is about a week and this matched with the period after the soil digging work,” he said.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, other animals known to get melioidosis include sheep, goats, pigs, hogs, boars, horses, cats, dogs and cows. The disease is mostly found in tropical climates, especially in Southern Asia and northern Australia.
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Edwin Tsui, the controller of the center, said the incident only happened in a single zone and its impact on Hong Kong residents would be very low.
Yeung on Monday 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.
Another De Brazza’s monkey also displayed unusual behavior and appetite but officials said its condition remained stable on Friday.
The Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens — the oldest park in the former British colony — fully opened to the public in 1871. It is a rare urban oasis in the downtown Central district of the financial hub, which returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
The deceased monkeys were among 93 mammals kept at the zoo, which also houses reptiles and birds.
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Viral Florida resident “Lt. Dan,” who rode out Hurricane Milton on his sailboat, arrested in Tampa
Joseph Malinowsky, the Florida man known as “Lt. Dan,” has been arrested in Tampa. He gained social media fame with TikTok posts as he rode out two recent hurricanes aboard his small sailboat.
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office arrest records show Malinowsky, 54, was arrested Friday for trespassing and failure to appear in court on previous charges of operating an unregistered vehicle and having no valid driver’s license.
Malinowsky became social media famous in the days before Hurricane Milton after rejecting officials’ pleas to seek shelter. He instead remained in his boat while the Category 3 storm’s powerful winds battered Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Malinowski was unfazed, describing the experience as “pretty mellow,” even though his boat was repeatedly slammed against a harbor wall during the worst of the storm.
“I’m not scared of anything,” Malinowski told CBS News’ Cristian Benavides after the storm.
As the storm intensified, Malinowski recounted how the wind picked up, causing his boat to crash against a wall in the harbor. To prevent further damage, he cut his anchor line, sacrificing a $250 anchor now resting on the bay floor.
“I was getting bashed against this wall, so I went out and cut my anchor line to get away from it,” he said.
Despite the danger, Malinowski remained calm, crediting his composure to his faith.
“God told me to come here,” he said, explaining that five years ago, he left Colorado and moved to Florida.
“I’ve been in Florida for five years, stuck on the East Coast,” Malinowski said. “… I found this boat for 1,200 bucks. I bought it. I come to Tampa, and guess what? Can’t flood, not today, not yesterday.”
Malinowsky, whose nickname comes from a character in the movie “Forrest Gump” who rides out a hurricane in a boat, remained jailed Saturday, according to online jail records. Court records do not list an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
On Friday, the actor who played Lt. Dan in the 1994 film served lunch to deputies in Pinellas County, which is a neighbor to Hillsborough County in Tampa Bay.
“We were honored to have Gary Sinise himself, the actor who portrayed the iconic Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump, in attendance and even serving our members showing his unwavering support for our law enforcement community. Your generosity and kindness means the world to us!” read a Facebook post from the sheriff’s office.
contributed to this report.
Inside a community center in one of most Chicago’s violent neighborhoods, there’s a surprising sense of calm and an unexpected promise of peace.
A new program, called She Ro, invites women at high risk from gun violence to come to the center four days a week for a year to learn ways to cope with trauma, anger and grief. Program developer Christa Hamilton said She Ro aims to “show (women) an exit,” and provides coaching in the life skills that can put them on a different path.
Many of the women participating have lost a loved one to gun violence, which 21-year-old participant Kayla Medina says is “contagious” on Chicago’s West Side. Medina lost both her sister and boyfriend to shootings, and said that she has found herself caught in the crossfire of gun violence “a million times.”
“Every time I walk out the door, there’s always something happening,” Medina said. “It’s always some gunshots.”
She Ro is one of multiple community violence interventions in Chicago, where $300 million has been pledged for such programs in underserved and disinvested communities. Community violence intervention aims to stop crime before it happens. Trained specialists establish relationships with people at the highest risk of being victims or perpetrators of violence. The specialists also provide support services and often respond to crime scenes, working to de-escalate tensions and derail retaliatory attacks.
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“The police cannot do this alone,” Chicago police superintendent Larry Snelling said. “This is a societal issue. I don’t want to go this alone. I don’t want my officers to go this alone.”
The University of Chicago’s Chico Tillman has studied the cost of crime and the return on investments in intervention.
“When you think about it, when a homicide takes place, there’s an investigation. The case goes to court. The case gets prosecuted. (There’s) incarceration if they are found guilty. All the medical bills,” Tillman said. “It costs society as a whole anywhere from $1.4 million to $2.5 million every time somebody is shot.”
While men make up the majority of people shot or shooting, the number of women here involved is rising. Hamilton said that last year, 90 women in the area were killed by gun violence and nearly 500 more were shot.
For those in the She Ro program, the community program is a step forward.
“It hurts me to be around all this, but She Ro helps,” one participant said.
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As early voting opens in Detroit, Harris, Trump campaign in the battleground state of Michigan
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Viral Florida resident “Lt. Dan,” who rode out Hurricane Milton on his sailboat, arrested in Tampa
Women’s program aims to combat violence in Chicago: “The police cannot do this alone”
As early voting opens in Detroit, Harris, Trump campaign in the battleground state of Michigan
Viral Florida resident “Lt. Dan,” who rode out Hurricane Milton on his sailboat, arrested in Tampa
Women’s program aims to combat violence in Chicago: “The police cannot do this alone”