[Animals] Neela, asian lioness becomes the first animal to die of covid in India

[Jeenyuhs]

Authorities say the lioness began showing symptoms only one day before death, and that two other lionesses are in critical condition after testing positive.

 

 

A nine-year-old lioness has died after testing positive for covid in a zoo in the city of Chennai, in southern India, in what is believed to be the first death of an animal in the country from the new coronavirus.

In addition to the lioness Neela, who died Thursday, eight other lions have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Zoo authorities said in a statement that the lioness showed symptoms, including a runny nose, just one day before she died, and that she began receiving treatment immediately.

 

 

Officials told the New Indian Express that the health of two 23- and 19-year-old lionesses is also critical, and they expect the number of positive cases to increase as more samples are tested.

The in-house veterinary team and experts from the state's leading veterinary university came together to decide what treatment regimen to provide for sick animals.

 

Chennai Zoo officials considered sending samples of the cats for testing in early May, when eight Asian lions from another zoo in the city of Hyderabad, in southern India, tested positive for the coronavirus.

However, those responsible decided not to do so because none of the cats in the center then presented any symptoms, and also because the animals had to be reassured in order to collect the samples, which they feared could decrease the immunity of the cats.

But the situation worsened on May 26, when five lions in the zoo's safari area began to show signs of loss of appetite and the occasional cough, which are symptoms of covid.

Authorities consulted veterinarians at the Bronx Zoo, in the United States, and the Hyderabad Zoo, both with experience in covid outbreaks among lions, and began treatment based on symptoms.

But the samples weren't sent to a specialized animal testing center until May 29, and by the time the results came in on June 3, Neela had died.

 

The Independent