Three Snow Leopards from Lincoln Children’s Zoo, Nebraska, USA USA, died of complications caused by Covid-19, announced zoo employees on Friday (13).
“Our leopards, Ranney, Everest and Makalu, were loved by our entire community inside and outside the zoo,” the institution said in a Facebook post. “This loss is truly painful and we are all in mourning together.”
Snow leopards are native to the mountainous areas of the Asia Central and are considered a species vulnerable to extinction, according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
Last month, the zoo said the Sumatran leopards and their tigers tested positive after showing symptoms consistent with those caused by the virus. The animals were treated with steroids and antibiotics to prevent secondary infections, the zoo said at the time.
“The Sumatran tigers Axl and Kumar have made an apparently complete recovery from their illness,” zoo officials said on Friday. Covid-19 has been detected in several mammals, including large cats, primates, ferrets and minks, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The zoo remains open “and continues to take every precaution to prevent the spread of Covid-19 to humans and animals,” it reported on Facebook.
“We will continue to follow the guidelines of the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) and the CDC to ensure the safety of our animals, staff and community,” the publication said.
A snow leopard at the San Diego Zoo tested positive in July and three snow leopards at the Louisville Zoo were infected with the disease last December.
(Translated text. Click here to read the original in English)
Reference: CNN Brasil
