Barcelona: Four lions at Barcelona Zoo have tested positive for COVID-19. Three females – Zala, Nima and Run Run and Kiumbe, a male, were tested after keepers noticed they showed slight symptoms of coronavirus, ZeeNews reported veterinary authorities as saying.
Two staffers at the zoo also tested positive for coronavirus, the authorities said, after the outbreak was first detected last month. Authorities are investigating how the lions became infected, the report added.
Keepers carried out PCR tests on the lions in the same way as humans are tested as the animals are accustomed to contact with the zoo staff.
The Veterinary Service of Barcelona contacted international experts and colleagues at the Bronx Zoo in New York, where four tigers and three lions tested positive for COVID-19 in April but recovered later on, the report said.
“The lions were given veterinary care for their mild clinical condition, similar to a very mild flu condition through anti-inflammatory treatment and close monitoring, and the animals responded well,” the authority in Barcelona was quoted as saying.
The four-year-old male and the females, who are all 16 years old, have had no contact with other animals at the zoo, which is open to visitors.
