“Our leopards, Ranney, Everest, and Makalu, had been beloved by our complete group inside and outdoors of the zoo,” the zoo said in a Facebook post. “This loss is really heartbreaking, and we’re all grieving collectively.”
Snow leopards are native to mountainous areas in Central Asia and are thought-about weak, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Final month, the zoo said that the leopards and its Sumatran tigers examined optimistic after exhibiting signs according to the virus. The animals had been handled with steroids and antibiotics to stop secondary infections, the zoo mentioned on the time.
“Sumatran tigers, Axl and Kumar, have made a seemingly full restoration from their sickness,” zoo officers mentioned on Friday.
Covid-19 has been detected in a lot of mammals, together with massive cats, primates, ferrets and minks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The zoo stays open “and continues to take each precaution to stop the unfold of COVID-19 to people and animals,” it mentioned on Fb.
“We’ll proceed following the American Affiliation of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) and CDC tips to make sure the security of our animals, workers, and group,” the submit mentioned.
A snow leopard on the San Diego Zoo tested positive in July and three snow leopards at the Louisville Zoo were infected with the illness final December.
