Snow leopard tests positive for COVID, San Diego Zoo says. He’s unvaccinated
A snow leopard at the San Diego Zoo has tested positive for COVID-19, keepers say.
Fecal samples from the leopard tested positive for the coronavirus at the zoo and a California laboratory, zoo officials said in a press release. U.S. Department of Agriculture test results are pending.
Keepers had noticed Thursday that the male snow leopard had a cough and runny nose, officials said. Veterinarians monitoring the animal say it is doing well.
Ramil, a 9-year-old snow leopard, shares a habitat with a female snow leopard and two amur leopards, The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.
Zoo officials said they assume the others are also infected with COVID-19 and are being quarantined. Visitors are not at risk, the zoo said.
The zoo recently received COVID-19 vaccines designed for animals and had started vaccinating its felids, or large cats, but had not vaccinated Ramil, zoo officials said.
A troop of gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park came down with COVID-19 in January but were asymptomatic and recovered fully, the zoo said.
Snow leopards are a vulnerable species from mountains in Asia, National Geographic reported. They can reach up to 5 feet in length and weigh up to 120 pounds.
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