A 12th monkey kept at a zoological garden in central Hong Kong has died, with a necropsy underway to determine whether it succumbed to the same bacterial infection that killed 11 monkeys from the same zoo.

Melioidosis, a bacterial infection, was responsible for killing at least nine monkeys at a Hong Kong zoo, authorities said, as a further two died over the weekend, taking the total to 11 in the past week.

Nine monkeys who died in Hong Kong’s oldest zoo in two days this week had been infected with an endemic disease, possibly after some digging work near their cages, officials said on Friday.

Officials say nine monkeys died at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens as a result of contracting melioidosis, a bacterial infection.

Melioidosis cases witness a spike after heavy rainfall, hurricanes or other severe weather events as it leads to the rise of bacteria on the surface of the soil, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A 12th monkey has died at a Hong Kong zoo, authorities said late on Tuesday, after 11 monkeys died in the past week due to Melioidosis, a bacterial infection, which can affect both humans and animals.

A twelfth monkey has died at a Hong Kong zoo, with tests underway to determine if it succumbed to the same bacterial infection that killed 11 other monkeys in the past 10 days. The De Brazza's monkey had been isolated since 13 October when the first eight deaths were reported.

Nine monkeys that died at the Hong Kong Zoological and Botanical Gardens succumbed to an infectious disease that can affect both animals and people. Confirming an earlier Post report, officials said on Friday that necropsies and laboratory tests had revealed the animals had melioidosis. The cause of death was melioidosis-induced sepsis.

The death of nine monkeys over two days at a zoo in Hong Kong is believed to have been caused by a bacterial infection, the city’s authorities said. The death toll rose to 11 over the weekend after two more monkeys died.