TNAG-0468-FCO40-533-Legislation-for-protection-of-wild-life-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 134

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Rabies is present in most continental land masses, including China, and the family veveridae - to which the civet belongs can carry the disease in silent form - that's to say, without itself showing symptoms.

It can be transmitted not only by biting, but through

aerosolized saliva, that's to say when the animal sneezes or coughs.

PENN

Dr. Kennedy Shortridge is a virologist at Hong Kong

University.

Shortridge

The other way which rabies can be transmitted is by direct contact of saliva left on, say, the wall of a cage with an open

wound, such as a cut or abrasion in another animal or even in

another human being.

The last manner in which rabies may be transmitted is by direct inhalation through the nose or it may be ingested through the

mouth.

Now the fact there have been no known deaths from rabies amongst

animal dealers in Hong Kong

suggests that the animals

that we're talking about, such as the civet cat, possibly in this case does not carry rabies - at present. However, this is no quarantee that this is so, and there is no guarantee that it may not happen in the future.

If an animal carrying rabies virus escaped and were to bite a domestic cat or dog there's a very, very strong possibility that we could have a rabies epidemic on our hands in no time. This is particularly the case since there are so many stray dogs in the Hong Kong area Hong Kong and Kowloon area.

Stray dogs wander about the shops, sniffing at the cages, and soft-hearted foreigners buy animals for release to the wild.. Govern-. ment assurances that civets are bred in captivity and thus effect- ively quarantined in China amused the shop and the commune people

we spoke to.

The Hong Kong Government sanctioned these uncontrolled imports soon after the British Veterinary Association recommended 8 months quarantine for all carnivores and primates other than Man. In Hong Kong all health and slaughter controls on Chinese wildlife have been waived as too costly, and too inconvenient for the

traders.