A tiger at a New York City zoo has tested positive for Covid-19, which believed to be the first Covid-19 case in a US animal or tiger anywhere.
The zoo officials said, the 4-year-old Malayan tiger named Nadia, and six other lions and tigers, have reportedly become ill at the Bronx Zoo after they were believed to be infected with Covid-19 by a zoo employee.
The animals started showing symptoms on Mar 27. Nadia, her sister Azul, two Amur tigers and three African lions had developed a dry cough. However, the zoo officials said they expected all of the lions and tigers to recover. The zoo has been closed since March 16.
‘Though they have experienced some decrease in appetite, the cats at the Bronx Zoo are otherwise doing well under veterinary care and are bright, alert and interact with their keepers,’ the statement continued.
Paul Calle, the zoo’s head veterinarian, said: ‘We tested the cat out of an abundance of caution (to)…contribute to the world’s continuing understanding of this novel coronavirus.’ The shocking findings have raised further questions about the virus’s ability to infect animals.
‘It’s important to assure pet owners and animal owners that at this time there isn’t any evidence that they can spread the virus,’ Dr Jane Rooney, a USDA veterinarian, told ABC.
However, there have reportedly been cases of pets outside the US becoming infected by the virus, which has killed over 9,500 Americans and infected more than 333,000.
Lately, 2 dogs in Hong Kong reportedly tested positive for the virus, although health officials in Hong Kong said no evidence that pets could not pass the virus to humans.
Source : Metro UK