A tiger at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive of Covid-19 making it the 1st wild animal to acquire the virus.
“It’s the first time, to our knowledge, that a [wild] animal has gotten sick from COVID-19 from a person,” says Paul Calle, chief veterinarian for the Bronx Zoo. The Malayan tiger, named Nadia, likely contracted the coronavirus from an infected—but unknown—asymptomatic zookeeper. “It’s the only thing that makes sense,” Calle says. The zoo has been closed to visitors since March 16.
The Bronx Zoo team is going to be sharing the diagnostic information widely with the zoo and scientific community, Calle says. “I suspect that there are other cases, and now that we’re sharing this information I have a hunch other likely cases will turn up.”
