New York: A 4-year-old Tiger named Nadia, is believed to be the first known animal who has contracted COVID_19 in Bronx Zoo, New York. Nadia and 6 other tigers and lions at Bronz Zoo fell ill and showed symptoms on the 27th of March. It is believed that the animal in the zoo got contracted through a zoo employee who did not show symptoms un till the tigers fallen ill.
Zoo Director, Jim Breheny said in a statement, “These are extremely hard days for all of us — no matter where we live and work. We will ensure that whatever we can learn from these circumstances will be used to better understand and combat this disease,”. The zoo officials said that all the Tigers are recovering and in better condition now.
The finding of the tigers contracted with coronavirus has raised new questions regarding the transmission of the virus from animals to humans. Dr. Jane Rooney, a veterinarian, and a USDA official said in an interview, “There doesn’t appear to be, at this time, any evidence that suggests that the animals can spread the virus to people or that they can be a source of the infection in the United States,”.
Some speculations highlight that if a virus can be transmitted to animals from humans, then how come it cannot transmit to humans from animals, especially when the virus is spreading via breathing. A study conducted in Hong Kong agricultural authorities concludes that pet dogs and cats can not transmit the virus to humans even after tested positive and being in close contact with their owners. Until now only a handful of researches have been done for animals contracting with the deadly coronavirus.
