Tiger At Bronx Zoo Tests Positive For Coronavirus
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – MARCH 29: First-time mother Kartika is seen as her three Sumatran Tiger cubs are placed on display at Taronga Zoo on March 29, 2019 in Sydney, Australia. The three Sumatran Tiger cubs were born in January 2019. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
A tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York has tested positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, according to National Geographic. A number of other big cats at the zoo are exhibiting symptoms associated with the coronavirus, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Apparently, it is the first time that a wild animal has gotten COVID-19 from a person; they postulate that the Malayan tiger, named Nadia, likely contracted the coronavirus from an infected zookeeper, but they haven't identified which zookeeper. The zoo has been closed to the public since March 16.
National Geographic reports that several domestic animals had previously tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, including a Pomeranian and a German shepherd in Hong Kong, and a domestic cat in Belgium.
