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Covid Daily Briefing
Three ‘beloved’ snow leopards died of Covid complications at
Nebraska zoo.

A snow leopard at a zoo in San Diego, Calif.Credit...San Diego
Zoo Wildlife Alliance, via Associated Press

By Víctor Manuel Ramos
Nov. 13, 2021
Three snow leopards died of complications related to Covid-19 at
a zoo in Lincoln, Neb., despite efforts by staff to restore them
to health after they tested positive for the virus about a month
ago, zoo announcements said.

The Lincoln Children’s Zoo lamented the deaths of Ranney,
Everest and Makalu in a Facebook post on its official page
Friday evening, saying the mountain cats “were beloved by our
entire community inside and outside of the zoo.”

“This loss is truly heartbreaking, and we are all grieving
together,” the statement said.

The snow leopards were not the only animals to have contracted
the virus at the facility. The Lincoln Children’s Zoo had
published a statement on Oct. 13 disclosing that the snow
leopards and Sumatran tigers had “tested positive for the virus
that causes Covid-19.”

The zoo had collected nasal swab and fecal samples after animal
keepers had “observed symptoms consistent with the virus in
felids,” which can include respiratory illness. The zoo said it
had been treating the snow leopards and tigers “with steroids
and antibiotics to prevent secondary infection,” but its
statement did not say whether its animals had been vaccinated.

This summer, zoo animals started receiving an experimental Covid
vaccine made by Zoetis, a veterinary pharmaceutical company in
New Jersey.

The Lincoln zoo’s tigers appeared to be pulling through,
according to the latest statement. “Sumatran tigers, Axl and
Kumar, have made a seemingly full recovery from the illness,”
the zoo said.

Cases of coronavirus infections among zoo animals have surfaced
throughout the U.S., including the first two spotted hyenas in
the world found to have the virus, among other animals infected
at the Denver Zoo. Other recently reported cases have included
tigers in Omaha, Neb.; African lions, snow leopards, jaguars and
a tiger in St. Louis and lions in Honolulu.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have said that
the risk of animals spreading Covid-19 to people is considered
low, but people can also spread the virus to them, and cases
among pets and animals in zoos have been documented around the
world.

The Lincoln Children’s Zoo, conceived as a family destination
where children could come close to animals, houses over 400
animals, including more than 40 endangered species, according to
its website. Zoo officials could not be immediately reached on
Saturday, but the organization’s statement said it has been
following guidelines from the C.D.C. and the American
Association of Zoo Veterinarians to protect its animals, the
staff and the community.

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/13/us/snow-leopards-covid-
nebraska-zoo.html
 

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