Hong Kong will resume hamster imports later this month, nearly a year after some 2,000 pet rodents were culled at when the city’s coronavirus outbreak was at its peak.
Hong Kong halted the commercial import of the small mammals last January. A pet store worker and nearly a dozen hamsters had tested positive for the Delta variant.
As part of the city’s strict zero-Covid policy, hamster owners were ordered to surrender their pets for culling, causing an outcry from animal activists and many residents.
Hamsters can once again be imported for sale in Hong Kong starting this month, providing they test negative for the coronavirus.