Nadia, a 4-year-old Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York, has tested positive for the COVID-19 coronavirus.
She is the first of her kind to test positive for the virus, CNN reports. In a statement, the Bronx Zoo on Sunday said Nadia, her sister Azul, two Amur tigers, and three African lions recently developed dry coughs, but no other animals are showing symptoms of COVID-19. Nadia was tested "out of an abundance of caution," and the zoo said it "will ensure any knowledge we gain about COVID-19 will contribute to the world's continuing understanding of this novel coronavirus."
The cats have all "experienced some decrease in appetite," but otherwise are "doing well under veterinary care and are bright, alert, and interactive with their keepers." All are expected to make full recoveries. The zoo also said the cats were "infected by a person caring for them who was asymptomatically infected with the virus or before that person developed symptoms," and there are now "appropriate preventative measures" in place for staffers taking care of the animals.
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