In the epicenter of the United States' coronavirus outbreak, even the lions and tigers started coughing.
On Sunday, the Bronx Zoo announced that one of its majestic Malayan tigers tested positive for COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus. Meanwhile, three other tigers and three lions (who were not tested) were also sick and hacking. The zoo said an infected zookeeper transmitted the virus to the exotic cats, which became a well-publicized instance of the insidious microbe jumping between animal species.
Though it might sound strange that large, dominant cats have fallen ill to the same parasite that has severely sickened and killed people around the globe, infectious disease experts aren't surprised. Animals often pass diseases to other animals. And some 75 percent of emerging infectious diseases in humans come from other animals species, known as "zoonotic diseases." Read more...
More about Science, New York City, Tigers, Diseases, and Coronavirusvia Zero Tech Blog
