Uttar Pradesh (SunstarTV Bureau): After a day of eight Asiatic lions at a Hyderabad zoo reported for Covid positives, two lionesses have tested positive for Covid-19 at Etawah Safari Park in Uttar Pradesh, informed the director of Etawah Safari Park on Saturday.
The director further said that both the animals have been kept in isolation.
“Sixteen samples of 14 Asiatic lions at the Etawah Safari Park had been sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) for RT-PCR tests for Covid-19. On Thursday, one lion tested positive for the virus, while another was considered as a suspected case. The remaining 12 lions have tested negative,” IVRI Joint Director Dr KP Singh told PTI.
He said the sample of a lion was also received from the Delhi zoo and its report came out negative on Friday. He further the report of the samples of the lions is being sent to the government besides the safari park management.
The chain of transmission of the virus could have taken place through any asymptomatic human carrier, probably caretakers, working at the park, Dr Singh said. He said the safari park authorities have been advised to shift the infected animals in isolation.
In the wake of the rising cases of coronavirus, the safari park has already been shut for the public. The CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology had on Tuesday said eight Asiatic lions in the Hyderabad zoo have tested positive for Covid-19.
