The first wild animal to be infected was a 4-year-old female Malayan tiger, who tested positive on April 5.
“Subsequently, we can confirm that the three other tigers in Tiger Mountain and the three African lions that exhibited a cough have also tested positive for COVID-19,” the zoo said, adding that another tiger at Tiger Mountain also tested positive for the virus, who had not developed symptoms at the time.
There are now a total of eight known infected wild animals.
According to the release, the tests were done out of caution and the testing of the wild animals was done in veterinary laboratories using fecal sample tests.
The cats are believed to have been infected by a zoo staff member who “was asymptomatically infected with the virus or before that person developed symptoms.”
Zoo officials reported that all eight cats are doing well, with normal behaviors, good appetite, and reduced coughs.
Other zoo animals including snow leopards, cheetahs, clouded leopard, Amur leopard, and puma did not show any signs of illness.
In addition to the seven wild animal cases, two pet cats were also reported to have been infected by the CCP virus on the same day.
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