"Slowly Recovering" Authorities Gladly Reported After Lions Tested Positive for Covid-19 in Singapore

The five lions and three zookeepers afflicted with Covid-19 at the Mandai Wildlife Group are on the road to recovery, according to Health Minister Ong Ye Kung (November 16).

Lions in Quarantine

Ong stated in a Facebook post that the Night Safari's carnivore division zookeepers are "on the mend with just slight symptoms" and that both the Night Safari and the Singapore Zoo's lion pride are "recovering nicely" in their dens, away from public areas.

The lions at the Night Safari are "bright, alert, and doing well," he said, adding that their meals have been supplemented with vitamins and supplements.

Ong said that after receiving an update from Mandai Park Holdings through its vice-chairman Tan Chuan-Jin, who is also Speaker of Parliament, "all the lions continue to feed healthily."

Testing Positive

Four Asiatic lions at the Night Safari tested positive for Covid-19 after being exposed to staff members from Mandai Wildlife Group. The latter was sick with the coronavirus, according to the Animal and Veterinary Service.

An African lion at the Singapore Zoo tested positive for Covid-19 a day later.

Coughing, sneezing, and lethargy were all symptoms of illness in all five lions.

Two of the keepers tested positive while off-duty. At the same time, the third, who had no symptoms, tested positive at work after tests were taken on team members who had been in touch with the first two, according to Mandai Wildlife Group, which administers the wildlife parks.

The third keeper was promptly relieved of duty.

Ong said he was inspired to inquire about the animal carers and the lions after reading about three snow leopards who died of Covid-19-related complications at a zoo in Lincoln, Nebraska, despite staff members' best efforts to bring them back to health after they tested positive for the virus about a month ago.

Covid Animal Infection

The virus has infected not just the snow leopards but also other animals at the institution. On October 13, the Lincoln Children's Zoo released a statement revealing that the snow leopards and Sumatran tigers "tested positive for the virus that causes Covid-19."

After reading about three snow leopards who died of Covid-19-related complications at a zoo in Lincoln, Nebraska, despite staff members' best efforts to bring them back to health after testing positive for the virus about a month ago, Ong said he was inspired to inquire about the animal carers and the lions.

The illness has spread throughout the facility, infecting the snow leopards and the other animals. The snow leopards and Sumatran tigers "tested positive for the virus that causes Covid-19," according to a statement made by the Lincoln Children's Zoo on October 13.

Since the start of the epidemic, the CDC has been at the forefront of efforts to understand better how SARS-CoV-2 affects animals and how the virus spreads between humans and animals. The CDC has also sought to strengthen federal, state, and other One Health partners' cooperation.

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