Four-year-old Malaysian tiger Nadia from the Bronx Zoo in New York. – JULIE LARSEN MAHER / AFP
A tiger at a Bronx zoo in New York has tested positive for Covid-19, the institution said on Sunday, a disease the feline allegedly contracted from a keeper showing no symptoms at the time.
The four-year-old Malaysian tiger called Nadia, his sister Azul, two Amur tigers and three African lions all suffer from dry coughs but are expected to make a full recovery, the zoo said in a statement. “We have tested the feline taking all precautions and we will make sure that any knowledge acquired on Covid-19 will contribute to the understanding of this new coronavirus in the world,” added the press release sent to AFP.
“We do not know how the disease will develop in big cats”
“Although their appetites have diminished, the felines of the Bronx Zoo are doing well thanks to veterinary care and are lively, alert and interactive with their keepers,” according to the same source. “We do not know how this disease will develop in big cats because the different species can react differently to new infections, but we will continue to monitor them closely and anticipate a full recovery,” says the New York institution. . The four zoos and the aquarium in New York – a metropolis whose death toll from the virus has exceeded 4,000 – have been closed since March 16.
At the end of March, a cat was infected with the new coronavirus in Belgium, contaminated by its owner who was sick, according to the Belgian health authorities who had then excluded any risk of contamination from animal to human. Similar cases have been reported in Hong Kong where two dogs have tested positive for Covid-19. These animals are said to have contracted the virus from the people they live with. The Bronx Zoo said preventative measures were in place for keepers as well as all felines in the city’s zoos.
