Im New Yorker Bronx Zoo there is currently excitement about the novel Coronavirus: A total of seven big cats tested positive for SARS-Cov-2 in the US zoo. This is reported by the British, among others Guardian.
Wheezing and loss of appetite
The infection became aware of the four-year-old Malaysia tiger female Nadia: the animal developed its first symptoms at the end of March – dry cough, wheezing and loss of appetite. Similar complaints followed in seven others Tigers and lions.
The zoo management currently assumes that the animals will be with an employee of the Zoo have infected. The employee had initially shown no symptoms of Covid-19 and had come to work normally. The seven big cats live in two areas of the zoo; the employee stayed in both.
“These are extremely difficult days for all of us, no matter where we live and work. We will ensure that everything we can learn from these circumstances is used to better understand and combat this disease,” said zoo director Jim Breheny in a statement.
New questions
The cases also raise new questions about the transmission of the Virus in animals. The US Department of Agriculture, which confirmed Nadia’s test results in its veterinary laboratory, said there were currently no cases of the Virus known in US pets or farm animals. “At this time, there doesn’t appear to be any evidence that the animals are Virus can be transferred to humans or that they are in the USA represent a source of infection “, so Jane Rooney, Veterinarian in the US Ministry of Agriculture.
The global coronavirus outbreaks are caused by human-to-human transmission, according to experts. Except for USA Nevertheless, there have been a handful of reports of infections in dogs or cats after close contact with contagious humans. Including a dog from Hongkongwho tested positive in early March. The Agricultural Authority of Hongkong however, came to the conclusion that dogs and cats did the Virus cannot pass on to people.
Also in Belgium Recently, a cat was positive for the novel Coronavirus tested. Norbert Nowotny, Virologist at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Wien, when asked about the case in the interview with the KURIER, saw no cause for concern: “These are absolutely isolated cases. I understand the excitement to a certain extent, but our domestic and farm animals play no role at all in the current Corona crisis . “
On the mend
On the Virus Only tiger female Nadia was tested, as anesthesia is required to take a sample. Such treatment means great stress for the big cats.
The animals would be treated accordingly and one was in good spirits that they will recover completely, said the zoo management. There are currently no signs of illness in other animals on the property. The Bronx Zoo has been closed to the public since March 16.
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