Two Zoo Miami tigers with runny noses get tested for coronavirus, and others will, too
Runny noses and lack of appetite prompted Zoo Miami veterinarians this week to test two Sumatran tigers for the novel coronavirus.
On Friday, the zoo announced that both tigers tested negative. Workers will continue to monitor the tigers and retest if necessary.
The other big cats in the zoo — including four lions and two jaguars — will likely be tested as well, said Zoo Miami spokesman Ron Magill. The zoo also has two cheetahs and four clouded leopards, which are not considered big cats. Those will be tested, too.
While the symptoms can be associated with allergies or even the common cold, Magill said that they didn’t “want to take any chances.”
“Under these conditions, we are on high alert,” said Magill, referring to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are learning new things about this disease every day. We don’t know the toll it takes on big cats, especially since we know that they can contract the disease.”
On Wednesday, the Bronx Zoo announced that a total of eight big cats have tested positive for COVID-19. The zoo first announced that a 4-year-old female Malayan tiger tested positive on April 5. This week, it said four more tigers and three lions had the disease.
Working closely with Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, Zoo Miami’s Animal Health team immobilized Berani, a 12-year-old male tiger, and Leeloo, a 9-year-old female.
Zoo employees, wearing masks and gloves, took several nasal, eye, throat, and rectal swabs. The samples were sent to a state lab for evaluation. It is not clear yet why the tigers were showing flu-like symptoms.
Zoo Miami has been taking extra precautions to protect both animals and staff since the pandemic surfaced last month. None of the animal science or animal health workers has tested posted for the disease.
This story was originally published April 24, 2020 at 12:06 PM.
