TNAG-0469-FCO40-534-Legislation-for-protection-of-wild-life-in-Hong-Kong-1974 — Page 123

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PENN

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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.

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 loft 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 - and remember these people are regularly handling these animals 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 guarantee that this is so, and there is no guarantoo 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 arca.

Stray dogs wander about the shops, sniffing at the cages, and soft-hearted foreigners buy animals for relcase 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.