Malayan Tiger Tests Positive For COVID-19 After Zookeepers Find Her Coughing

According to New Straits Times, the four-year-old Malayan tiger, named Nadia, was screened for COVID-19 after developing a dry cough.

Nadia's sister Azul, two Amur tigers, and three African lions also developed symptoms, said Wildlife Conservation Society, the organisation that runs the zoo, in a statement yesterday, 5 April.

Malay Mail reported that the zoo finally decided to test her for COVID-19 given the surge of cases in New York City, the epicentre of the outbreak in the United States.

"We tested the cat [Nadia] out of an abundance of caution," the zoo officials said.

While the other tigers and lions were also exhibiting symptoms, they decided to test only Nadia because she was the sickest and had started to lose her appetite.

Otherwise, they assured that the cats are doing well under close monitoring and veterinary care, and are expected to all fully recover.

"They are bright, alert, and interactive with their keepers."

"This is the first time that any of us know of anywhere in the world that a person infected the animal and the animal got sick," the zoo's chief veterinarian Paul Calle told Reuters, who added that they do not know which employee infected the tiger.

However, Calle said that they plan to share findings with other zoos and institutions about the cats and their response to the COVID-19 infection.

"It is not known how this disease will develop in big cats since different species can react differently to novel infections, but we will continue to monitor them closely and anticipate full recoveries," he said.

"Hopefully we will all have a better understanding as a result."