Three females named Zala, Nima and Run Run and Kiumbe, a male, were tested after keepers noticed they showed slight symptoms of coronavirus. Two staff at the zoo also tested positive for coronavirus, the authorities said, after the outbreak was first detected last month. Keepers carried out PCR tests on the lions in the same way as humans are tested as the animals are acustomed to contact with the zoo staff. The Veterinary Service of Barcelona contacted colleagues at the Bronx Zoo in New York, where four tigers and three lions tested positive for COVID-19 in April. "The Zoo has contacted and collaborated with international experts such as the Veterinary Service of the Bronx Zoo, the only one that has documented cases of Sars-CoV-2 infection in felines," the Barcelona zoo said in a statement.

Source: bd News24 December 08, 2020 11:03 UTC