Status: 04/06/2020 01:56
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A carer without symptoms is likely to have infected at least one big cat. It is the first known coronavirus case in animals in the USA and arguably the first in a tiger worldwide.
A tiger tested positive for the novel coronavirus in a New York zoo. The four-year-old female Nadia suffered from a dry cough, but will probably recover, said the operators of the zoological garden in the Bronx district. It is the first known infection in a tiger worldwide and the first time that the disease has been detected in an animal in the USA.
In addition to Nadia, three other tigers and three lions are also showing symptoms of a coronavirus infection. All animals are doing well and are expected to recover, said the zoo. The cats are likely to have been infected by a zoo keeper who was infected but symptom-free. The zoo has been closed since March 16.
Closed since March 16: The Bronx Zoo.
Bild: AP
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Dry cough, difficulty breathing, loss of appetite
The Malaysia tiger was tested as a precautionary measure and hoped that it will also contribute to understanding the virus, said the zoo’s veterinarian, Paul Calle. Only Nadia had been tested because the big cats had to be anesthetized to prove it. The female tiger did not have an elevated temperature, but Nadia and the other affected big cats suffered from a dry cough and sometimes from difficulty breathing and anorexia, said veterinarian Calle.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture, which confirmed the test result, said there had been no known coronavirus infections in animals in the U.S. It is also not recommended that such tests be carried out routinely.
In the past few months there had been a few cases in which animals apparently became infected after coming into contact with infected people. Among other things, a dog in Hong Kong tested positive in February. However, the local health authorities came to the conclusion that domestic dogs and cats could not transmit the virus back to humans.
Tiger infected with coronavirus in New York Zoo
Peter Mücke, ARD New York, April 6th, 2020 6:34 am
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