In a Bronx Zoo in New York, a four-year-old Malayan tiger tested positive for Coronavirus.
Nadia, which is the feline’s name, is believed to be the first case of an infected animal in the United States.
The Bronx Zoo reported that the test result was confirmed by a Veterinary Services Laboratory located in Iowa.
It appears that an asymptomatic caretaker may have been the one who transmitted the virus to Nadia and six other felines.
These animals began to show symptoms, including a dry cough, late last month as a result of exposure to the caretaker, who remains unidentified.
“This is the first time that we know of anywhere in the world that an infected person transmitted the disease to an animal and the animal developed symptoms,” said the zoo’s head veterinarian, Paul Calle.
Sharing discoverings with other zoos
Certainly, there are cases of pets that have become sick with the virus, but experts insist that they cannot catch the disease or transmit it.
Calle revealed his true intentions to share the findings with other zoos investigating the transmission of Covid-19.
“We are conducting the trial on the feline with extreme caution and any knowledge we gain about covid-19 will contribute to global research on this new coronavirus,” the zoo said in a statement.
Although Nadia, her sister Azul, two Siberian tigers and three African lions are showing symptoms, the zoo hopes they will soon recover.
Apart from these cats, two other dogs and a cat have also tested positive for Coronavirus.