Eight Asiatic lions in the Hyderabad zoo have tested positive for COVID-19 after their saliva samples were thoroughly examined by CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology, Rakesh Mishra, advisor of the premier research institute said on Tuesday.
The Union Environment Ministry said the infection was not caused by any variant of concern, adding all the eight lions, since isolated, have responded well to the treatment and are recovering.
Further, there was no factual evidence that animals can transmit the disease to humans any further, it said.
“The saliva samples of the Asiatic lions were thoroughly tested and they turned out to be positive. As they were living closely it must have been spread among them,” Mishra told a news agency.
“Now we are developing a method to test the samples of their faeces. This method would be useful in future as every time it is not possible to collect saliva samples from wild animals,” he added.
He further said the virus which is present in the lions at the Nehru Zoological Park here is not any new variant.
“They have mild symptoms and they are eating well and they are fine,” he said.
Replying to a query, he said there is every possibility of animals contracting the virus as they are also mammals like human beings.
Mishra further said these animals must have got infected through zoo-keeping staff.
Surjitt Sahani
