A tigress at New York's Bronx Zoo tested positive for COVID-19 and is believed to have contracted the virus from a caretaker who was asymptomatic at the time.
A four-year-old Malay tigress named Nadia developed a dry cough. The zoo's veterinary services are hoping that she will recover completely, the Wildlife Conservation Society, which operates the city's zoos, said in a statement.
“We have thoroughly tested the cat and ensure that any knowledge we gain about COVID-19 will contribute to the animal's early recovery,” it said.
“Although she has some decreased appetite, the cat at the Bronx Zoo is generally doing well with the infection and is proactive with her caretakers,” the statement said.
“It is not known how this disease will develop in big cats, as different species may react differently to new infections, but we will continue to monitor it closely and expect a full recovery.”
All four zoos and aquarium in New York City have been closed since March 16.
The zoo stressed that 'there is no evidence that animals play a role in the transmission of COVID-19 to humans other than the original event in Wuhan, and there is no evidence that anyone has been infected with COVID-19 in the United States from animals, including domestic dogs or cats'.
Chinese disease control officials have identified wild animals sold in a market in Wuhan as the source of the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected more than a million people worldwide.
According to the USDA website, there were “no reports of pets or other animals” in the United States suffering from coronavirus prior to the news of the tigress Nadia.
“It continues to be recommended that people with COVID-19 limit contact with animals until more is known about the virus,” the department's website said.
In late March, a domestic cat was found infected with the novel coronavirus in Belgium, following similar cases in Hong Kong, where two dogs tested positive for COVID-19.
It is believed that all of these animals contracted the virus from the people with whom they live.
The Bronx Zoo said preventative measures have been taken for caretakers as well as all wild cats at the city's zoos.
Sources: Photo: Tiger contracted COVID-19 at the Bronx Zoo. (AFP PHOTOS / Julie Larsen Maher / @ WCS)
