New York: It is not just the COVID-19 virus is focusing its attention on human beings only. The virus which first originated from an animal market in Wuhan, China is also a threat to big cats.
Big cats hit by coronavirus
The latest to be hit by the virus are four tigers and three lions at the Bronx Zoo here. They have all tested positive for the COVID-19 pandemic. This comes two weeks after a tiger tested positive for coronavirus at the Bronx Zoo. However, the first tiger which was infected by coronavirus is doing well according to the zoo authorities.
The zoo officials through a news release had announced April 15 that a four-year-old Malaya species tiger had tested positive for coronavirus. It had also said that some other animals were showing signs of symptoms of COVID-19.
Zoo authorities issue statement
“Samples for testing from the tiger, ‘Nadia’, were collected from her nose, throat, and respiratory tract while she was under anesthesia,” the zoo said in a fresh news release.
“Subsequently, we can confirm that the three other tigers in Tiger Mountain and the three African lions that exhibited a cough have also tested positive for COVID-19. This testing was done by using a fecal sample test developed by our laboratory partners that does not require the animals be placed under anesthesia,” the zoo authorities have been quoted as saying by the media here.
Tigers and lions behaving normally
The zoo officials also said that none of the big cats infected by the virus are showing any signs of discomfort. All the eight are behaving normally and none have any signs of cough and cold, they added. Sources said one of the reasons which have worked in favour of the big cats is that they are young. Hence they have a strong immune system.
“We tested the tigers and lions out of an abundance of caution,” zoo officials said. We will share any knowledge we gain about COVID-19 and will contribute to the world’s continuing understanding of this novel coronavirus. The tests of the cats were done in veterinary laboratories. Zoo officials said the resources used for testing the big cats were not taken from laboratories used for human testing.
Other animals also hit by virus
Other animals outside the zoo have also tested positive this week in the city. Two cats that live in separate areas of this city have tested positive for the coronavirus. The United States Department of Agriculture gave this information Wednesday. The cats are the first pets in the US to test positive, according to ‘McClatchy News’.
Agencies