Jaipur lion tests COVID positive days after 8 Asiatic lions contracted virus in Hyderabad

As India continues to reel under the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lion, named Tripur, living in Jaipur zoo has tested positive for Coronavirus, said Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) officials on Wednesday. While Tripur was positive for SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19, the sample reports of a panther, a white tiger and a lioness from Jaipur, were inconclusive, IVRI Joint Director KP Singh said, adding there was a need to resample them.

COVID: Lion in Jaipur zoo tests positive

Informing that 13 animal samples were received from Rajasthan's capital, which included 3 lions, 3 together and 1 panther, KP Singh said, "8 samples including, 3 tigers, 1 civet car, 1 blackbuck received from Chhatbir Zoo in Punjab and one of the blackbucks in Bareily were tested negative for the virus."

Singh further stated that the chain of transmission of the virus could have taken place through asymptomatic human carriers like caretakers of animals. Earlier on May 4, the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology said eight Asiatic lions in the Hyderabad zoo tested positive for COVID.

8 Asiatic lions test COVID-19 positive in Hyderabad

8 Asiatic Lions at Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad have tested positive for COVID-19 caused by novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Several Asiatic lions at Nehru Zoological Park, Hyderabad showed mild symptoms of the disease that has rocked the world since it originated in China in December 2019. As per a statement by CSIR-CCMB, zoo authorities collected the lions' nasal and throat samples which later turned out to be positive. 

According to March 2021 analysis by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), coronavirus can spread from people to animals in some situations such as close contact of the animal with an infected person.

Two days after eight Asiatic lions in Hyderabad were found COVID-19 positive, a lion at the Etawah Safari Park had also tested positive and another was suspected to have caught the infection. Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) Joint Director Dr KP Singh had said that sixteen samples of 14 Asiatic lions at the Etawah Safari Park had been sent for RT-PCR tests.

"Sixteen samples of 14 Asiatic lions at the Etawah Safari Park had been sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) for RT-PCR tests for COVID-19. On Thursday, one lion tested positive for the virus, while another was considered a suspected case. The remaining 12 lions have tested negative," Dr KP Singh said.

COVID-19 situation in India

India so far has reported over 2,33,40,938 positive cases, out of which 1,93,82,642 have successfully recovered and 2,54,197 have died. As per the latest reports from MoHFW, in the past 24 hours, 3,48,421 new cases, 3,55,338 fresh recoveries and 4,205 deaths have been reported. Currently, the total number of active cases in the country is 37,04,099. 

(Image:Pixabay)