Snow leopards are the latest cats to be infected with the coronavirus
One female cat, NeeCee, has tested positive, and two males, Kimti and Meru, are presumed positive, based on tests at a regional veterinary diagnostic center that must be confirmed at a national lab. Updated: December 13, 2020 9:02:57 pm
So far there are no documented cases of dogs or cats passing the virus to humans. (Representational Image)
Snow leopards at the Louisville Zoo are the latest animals to be infected with the coronavirus.
One female cat, NeeCee, has tested positive, and two males, Kimti and Meru, are presumed positive, based on tests at a regional veterinary diagnostic center that must be confirmed at a national lab.
Published: Sunday, 13 December 2020 06:01
Photo courtesy of Louisville Zoo
December 13, 2020 - Washington, D.C. - The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) has announced the first confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) infection in a snow leopard at the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky. This is the first snow leopard in the United States to test positive for SARS-CoV-2. Confirmatory testing is ongoing for two other snow leopards at the zoo.
Samples from three snow leopards were taken after they showed signs of respiratory illness. All three of the snow leopards are expected to fully recover.