a tiger from a new york zoo tested positive for the virus

Named Nadia, the animal is said to have contracted Covid-19 from a caretaker who was ill but had no symptoms.

A tiger from a Bronx zoo in New York has tested positive for coronavirus, the establishment announced on Sunday April 5, virus that the feline allegedly contracted from a caretaker then showing no symptoms.
The four-year-old tiger named Nadia, her sister Azul, two Amur tigers and three African lions all suffer from dry cough, but are expected to recover fully, the zoo said in a statement.

"We have tested the feline taking all the precautions and we will make sure that any knowledge acquired on the Covid-19 will contribute to the understanding of this new coronavirus in the world. Although their appetite has diminished, the felines at the Bronx zoo are doing well thanks to veterinary care and are lively, alert and interactive with their guards ", adds the press release sent to Agence France-Presse.

"It is not known how this disease will develop in big cats because different species may react differently to new infections, but we will continue to monitor them closely and anticipate a full recovery", explains the New York institution.

New York had closed its four zoos and its aquarium since March 16. The city has seen its Covid-19 death toll surpass 4,000.

There is "no evidence that a person has been infected with Covid-19 in the United States by animals, including companion dogs or cats", noted the zoo's statement.

This is also the opinion of the World Health Organization (WHO), which states that there is no evidence that companion dogs or cats can transmit the coronavirus.

However, conservation experts have warned that the virus could pose a threat to some wildlife such as the great apes. They also said that measures are needed to reduce the risk on wild gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans.

Other cases?

Already at the end of March, a cat had been infected with the new coronavirus in Belgium. The latter had been contaminated by his master who was sick, according to Belgian health authorities who had then ruled out any risk of contamination from animal to man. Similar cases have been reported in Hong Kong, where two dogs tested positive for Covid-19. These animals are said to have contracted the virus from the people with whom they live.

The Bronx Zoo said preventative measures were in place for the keepers as well as all felines in the city's zoos.

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