4 tigers, 3 lions test COVID-19 positive at Bronx Zoo

Four tigers and three lions have tested COVID-19 positive at the Bronx Zoo in New York, authorities announced, weeks after a Malayan tiger at the facility was confirmed positive and six other big cats were said to be exhibiting similar symptoms.

On April 5, the Wildlife Conservation Society that runs theNew York zoo, reported that one tiger had tested positive for the newcoronavirus, the first known COVID-19 infection found in a big cat, reports Efenews.

   

The first big cat, a four-year-old Malayan tiger namedNadia, developed a dry cough and loss of appetite in late March, while Nadia’ssister Azul, two Amur tigers, and three African lions also showed the samesymptoms.

“We can confirm that the three other tigers in TigerMountain and the three African lions that exhibited a cough have also testedpositive for COVID-19,” the zoo said in a statement on Wednesday.

The test was done by using a faecal sample so that theanimals did not have to be placed under anesthesia, as with the Malayan tiger.”The faecal tests confirmed our suspicionthat all seven cats had the infection, and also determined that one tiger atTiger Mountain that never developed a cough was also positive for thedisease,” it added. 

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