Two Tigers Contract COVID-19 From Humans At Indiana Zoo

Two Sumatran tigers at the Fort Wayne Children's Zoo tested positive for COVID-19 after contracting the virus from humans.

The zoo tested the tigers Bugara and Indah after Bugara appeared sick earlier this month.

"Bugara the male that first developed some symptoms on Monday with the dry cough really hasn't progressed much more than that and is already starting to resolve it seems. The female (Indah), she had just one meal where she wasn't quite as excited about it," said Dr. Kami Fox, staff veterinarian at the zoo. "The next meal was just as energetic as usual. She was heard coughing slightly yesterday, but again no progression there so expect a full recovery very quickly."

Zoo leaders told Fort Wayne NBC that the tigers were infected by humans. The zoo is currently closed to visitors and only five people had close contact with the tigers.

Other zoos around the U.S. reported tigers testing positive for COVID-19 since the pandemic started. The Bronx Zoo had three lions and four tigers test positive for the coronavirus in April 2020. Those big cats were among the first recorded cases of humans passing the virus to a wild animal, National Geographic reported.

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