Cats, dogs and gorillas have joined the Covid-19 deal with humans, and now reports from India say a lion suspected to have died of the disease. Of the 11 lions tested for the disease, nine were positive for Co-Aid-19. Sapphire, named, died at the Valandur Zoo in India at the age of nine. The zookeepers became aware that there was something worrying in their lions when they started showing symptoms including loss of appetite and cough in the last week of the girl.
They followed test samples, which later confirmed that Sapphire and eight other lions infected with the SARS-COV-2 virus. “According to the results of laboratory tests provided by the institute, samples from nine of the 11 sent lions tested positive for SARS Covey-2,” a statement from Valandur Zoo said in a news release.
“Samples have also been sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute, Bareilly and Cellular and Molecular Center, Biology, Hyderabad, on 4.6.2021 to determine the nature of the false positive nature of the news or whether the animal may die due to comorbidities.” According to a Forbes report – not all of the animals that vaccinated and wearing personal protective equipment when visiting animals have no doubt that the outbreak is suspicious.
It is not yet clear in what form the animals were infected. Domestic and large cats have tested positive for COVID-19 since the disease first started. Several tigers at the Bronx Zoo in New York have also reported to have cough symptoms, although no animals have died. A nine-year-old lion named Neela suspected to have died of a covid-19 infection at the Anna Zoological Park in Vandalur, Chennai. The other eight lions tested positive for COVID at the zoo.
The zoo said in a statement that the lion, located in the safari area of Zoological Park, died at 6.15 pm on Thursday. It said that the lioness was asymptomatic and showed some nasal discharge the day before her death. Proudly immediately, the veterinarian team arrived at the zoo. In addition, a team of experts also nominated by the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (TANUVAS) to assist veterinarians at the zoo in investigating the lion’s condition.
