Hong Kong Lifts Controversial Ban on Hamsters a Year After They Ordered the Culling of Thousands of Pets

Hong Kong has lifted its controversial hamster ban and will once again allow the import of hamsters for sale later this month. Hong Kong banned hamsters after a city ordered the culling of the mammals and shut down all pet shops selling them to help eliminate the COVID-19 virus.

The ban went into effect last January after nearly a dozen hamsters imported from the Netherlands and sold at pet stores were found to be infected with the delta variant of COVID-19. In response, officials ordered the culling of thousands of pets. In May, the government resumed the importation of small mammals, but hamsters were still banned.

Source: South China Morning Post/YouTube

Imported hamsters will reportedly still need to test negative for COVID before they are made available for sale due to studies that have found they are particularly susceptible to the virus and can easily spread it.

If you’re thinking of adopting a hamster (we strongly discourage buying one from a pet shop), there are a few things you should know before welcoming one into your home. Hamsters take a significant amount of time and patience. They may be exciting at first. After all, getting a new pet and family member is a big deal. However, expectations need to be managed within a family before committing to a hamster.

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• Hamsters Celebrate Little Hedgehog’s Birthday With a Tiny Party Fit To Size (VIDEO)
• This Abandoned Hamster Doesn’t Have Any Fur – so Caretakers Made Her a Sweater!

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