2 Pittsburgh zoo tigers test positive for covid as zoo awaits vaccines

 Two tigers at the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium have tested positive for covid-19, officials said Monday as the Highland Park facility remained on a waiting list for specialty vaccines developed specifically for animals.

The tigers were tested via nasal swab after they started showing symptoms, including “occasional coughing and loose stool,” officials said. The cats are eating normally and expected to recover.

Zoo President Jeremy Goodman said no visitors are allowed to get close to the tigers, meaning the risk of transmission to patrons “is very low.”

He said the tigers likely contracted the virus from an asymptomatic zoo employee. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has noted that the risk of animals spreading the virus to people is low.

A Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo became the first zoo animal in the United States known to have contracted the virus. Six other big cats – three tigers and three African lions – also tested positive. All have recovered.

Earlier this year, two female lions in Pittsburgh tested positive for the virus and have since recovered. Zoo officials said there have been no virus-related fatalities among tigers in the United States. Two lions in India died in June after contracting the virus.

Zoos across the country have begun vaccinating their animals with doses developed by animal health company Zoetis. The company in July donated around 11,000 doses to 70 zoos nationwide.

The company, based in Kalamazoo, Mich., is a former subsidiary of Pfizer. Zoetis became its own company in 2013.

“When the first dog was infected with covid-19 in Hong Kong last year, we immediately began to work on a vaccine that could be used in domestic animals,” Mahesh Kumar, a senior official in the company’s global biologics section, said in a July news release announcing the donations. “While thankfully a covid-19 vaccine is not needed in pets or livestock at this time, we are proud that our work can help zoo animals at risk of covid-19.”

Across the country, thousands of zoo animals have been vaccinated against covid. At the Oakland Zoo in California, the large exotic cats – lions, tigers and mountain lions – have been vaccinated. The Washington Post reported that the cats were rewarded with goat’s milk. Bears in Oakland got ice cream and whipped cream, and officials gave a chimp marshmallows and M&Ms to get her to stay still, the newspaper said.

The Post reported in October that Zoetis was planning a second shipment of vaccines “in the coming weeks.” Those vaccines were earmarked for mammals that veterinarians and zoo keepers think are most at risk, including primates, big cats and canines, bears and more.

Shipments of the experimental vaccine must be approved on a case-by-case basis by the USDA and the state veterinarian where the zoo is located, according to National Geographic.

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Until the Pittsburgh zoo receives the vaccine, officials are closely monitoring the ill tigers and other large mammals susceptible to the virus.

“We are taking this situation seriously and are continuing to provide the best care possible to our tigers,” Goodman said.

Ludhiana: Tiger safari zoo awaits a young royal

 A three-and-a-half-year-old Royal Bengal Tiger is all set to take over the reins of his new kingdom at the Tiger Safari Zoo near Amaltas village, Ludhiana after completing 28 days in quarantine.

Having completed 28 days in quarantine, a three-and-a-half-year-old Royal Bengal Tiger is all set to take over the reins of his new kingdom at the Tiger Safari Zoo near Amaltas village.

Zoo in-charge Narinder Singh says the big cat was being allowed to roam the area on an occasional basis to help him acclimatise to its new habitat. “We wanted to see how Nav reacted on seeing a bus full of visitors in the zoo. He has shown some aggressiveness, which is expected,” said Narinder Singh.

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A zoo official, who did not wish to be named, said, “The animals need to be quarantined for some time, so that they can comfortably adapt to their new habitat.”

Nav was scheduled to be shifted from Chhatbir Zoo in February last year, but the pandemic delayed the process.

Second tiger at the safari

Last year, two tigresses, Chirag and Ichran, had been brought to the zoo to revive its breeding programme. “Chirag was born at the Ludhiana Tiger Safari in 2008 to the two tigers we had earlier — Paras and Chorni. Ichran was also born in captivity at Bannerghatta Zoo near Bengaluru in Karnataka, and was later shifted to Chhatbir,” said Narinder Singh.

However, the 18-year-old male tiger Mani was not keeping well, and soon died. Ichran, who was nearly 16 years old also passed away soon after. With the arrival of Nav, there will be two big cats in the zoo.

The Tiger Safari had been thrown open to the public on July 20 after its closure in March 2020 due to the pandemic. Now, those found without mask in the zoo will be penalised.

Spread across 59 hectares near the Jalandhar Bypass on the National Highway, the safari was opened in 1992 and has been a huge attraction for visitors since.

Recently, the department had launched an animal adoption scheme under which any resident can adopt an animal or bird kept in the zoo by paying an annual care-taking fee, which will allow benefactors to avail a tax benefit.