NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th June, 2021) A nine-year-old lioness has died in a state-run Indian zoo near the southern city of Chennai after contracting the coronavirus, the zoo's press office said on Friday.
The lioness by the name of Neela had been asymptomatic and only showed nasal discharge on Wednesday, a day before she died, a statement by Arignar Anna Zoo read.
Five big cats started showing loss of appetite and occasional coughing on May 26. The zoo's veterinary team sent samples of 11 lions to a national institute for COVID-19 testing. Nine came back positive.
Eight Asiatic lions tested positive for the coronavirus in May in a safari park in Hyderabad, north of Chennai. Several African lions and Malayan tigers became infected with the virus at the Bronx Zoo in New York City last year.
