Coronavirus infects four MORE tigers and three lions at Bronx Zoo after catching it from one zookeeper
ANOTHER seven big cats have tested positive for coronavirus at Bronx Zoo after apparently being infected by a zookeeper.
The Wildlife Conservation Society - which runs the New York attraction - revealed four more tigers and three lions have been diagnosed with the virus.
The animals were tested after a four-year-old Malayan tiger called Nadia started coughing last month and was later confirmed to have been struck down.
Vets took samples from Nadia's nose, throat and respiratory tract while she was under anesthetic while the other animals were later tested using fecal samples.
The zoo said despite contracting the virus all the animals are behaving normally, eating well and their coughs are improving.
It added: "We tested the tigers and lions out of an abundance of caution and will ensure any knowledge we gain about COVID-19 will contribute to the world's continuing understanding of this novel coronavirus.
"The testing of these cats was done in veterinary laboratories and resources used did not take from those being used for human testing.
"None of the zoo's snow leopards, cheetahs, clouded leopard, Amur leopard, puma or serval are showing any signs of illness."
It is believed the animals were infected by one of the zookeepers who was showing no virus symptoms at the time.
Measures have now been put in place to prevent further exposure and the spread of the disease, the zoo revealed.
Nadia tested positive for COVID-19 at the beginning of the month with experts saying it was the "first case of its kind".
The positive COVID-19 test was confirmed by USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory, based in Ames, Iowa.
"Our cats were infected by a person caring for them who was asymptomatically infected with the virus or before that person developed symptoms," zoo officials said at the time.
Nadia first began showing signs of sickness on March 27 and tested positive just over a week later.
The Bronx Zoo has been closed to the public since March 16, but converted its empty parking lots into coronavirus testing centers.
It set up white tents to test workers from the nearby Montefiore Medical Center.
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Meanwhile, two domestic cats became the first pets in New York to test positive for the virus.
The cats, from different parts of the state, have mild respiratory illness and were expected to fully recover.
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