COVID -19: Govt asks zoos, forest staff and veterinarians to check for symptoms in tigers after New York case

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The government has said that tigers must be observed for symptoms consistent with COVID-19 such as respiratory signs of nasal discharge, coughing and laboured breathing through direct observation and camera trap images after one in New York's Bronx zoo tested positive.

"Diligence needs to be exercised while handling post mortem cases to record location, age and sex of the animal while collecting samples for Corona virus diagnosis in consultation with the State Veterinary officials while safeguarding oneself through appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)," the government has written in a letter to wildlife wardens.

In another letter, the government has said that the United States Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratories has confirmed the presence of COVID-19 in tiger housed in Bronx Zoo, New York, and therefore, all zoo personnel should remain in high alert.

As Coronaviruses are known to affect gastrointestinal system in felines, requisite correlation may be made for characterizing the virus type in consultation with the state veterinary department, the letter said.

"For COVID-19 diagnosis as well as differential diagnoses and characterization as highlighted above, samples may be sent to ICAR approved laboratories as per enclosure," the letter said.

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The government has advised that frontline staff as well as veterinary officials should gear up to engage in monitoring tiger mortality in areas under the jurisdiction of the said authority to detect the disease and prevent any spread in tigers in the wild.

"Being a notifiable disease, any positive case needs to be reported immediately to the NTCA for onward transmission to Authorities concerned," the letter said.

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