Pet shops reopen in Hong Kong, but hamsters nowhere in sight

Pet shops which sold hamsters have been allowed to reopen on Sunday, after the government culled 2,000 hamsters and 500 other small animals in two weeks.

After several hamsters at a Causeway Bay pet shop tested positive of Covid-19, the government ordered the culling of all hamsters sold in local shops. The shops also had to suspend businesses.

Since then the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department has collected 1,134 samples from animals other than hamsters including rabbits, chinchillas and others, and 1,124 environmental swabs from all the concerned pet shops for the Covid virus test. Test results of all the animal samples are confirmed negative, the department said on Saturday night.

However, the 'Little Boss' pet shop in Jardine's Bazaar, Causeway Bay, has not yet been thoroughly disinfected.

Some of the environmental swabs taken in the following pets shops, namely 'I Love Rabbit' in Lee Garden Road, Causeway Bay; 'Little Boss' in Tung Choi Street, Mong Kok and 'I Love Rabbit' in Kau Yuk Road, Yuen Long have not passed the virus test.

Another 'I Love Rabbit' pet shop in Tung Choi Street is still under the investigation of the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health.

All the other pet shops have been thoroughly cleaned and the environmental swabs collected from those locations have all passed the Covid-19 test. Therefore, the department has allowed pet shops other than the five to resume business.

On Sunday, no hamsters can be seen inside Little Boss shop on 187 Tung Choi Street. Rabbits, however, are available.

Another shop on the same street, Q-Pets Mong Kok, reopened for the first day and hamsters are also not available. It is unclear when hamsters will be on shelves again, according to staff.

A neighboring shop which focuses on chinchillas has not restocked hamsters as well.

Some shops did not open although they are not banned by the government from resuming business, such as Miss Rabbit on Tung Choi Street.