Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo in Indiana, USA, recently confirmed that two Sumatran tigers in the park have tested positive for COVID-19.
The U.S. The Hill quoted a zoo statement on the 8th to report that after animal health employees reported that a Sumatran tiger had symptoms consistent with the human infection with the novel coronavirus, the veterinary laboratory tested the two tigers for the novel coronavirus and the results were positive.
“The male Sumatran tiger ‘Braga’ has been coughing dry, and the female Sumatran tiger ‘Inda’ is currently asymptomatic,” said veterinarian Cami Fox.
The two tigers continue to be observed in the same tiger house to “see if there are other clinical signs”.
The zoo is located in Fort Wayne. It is not clear how two tigers contracted the novel coronavirus.
The park said it was working with local health departments to identify potential sources.
There are more than 1,400 animals at the Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, and other animals have not been tested for COVID-19.
From March to April last year, the Bronx Zoo in New York City confirmed that five tigers and three African lions were infected with the novel coronavirus.
In January, several gorillas at San Diego Wildlife Park, California, tested positive for COVID-19, marking the first time that primates other than humans have been found to have COVID-19.
