Photo credit: FACEBOOK/MANDAI WILDLIFE RESERVES

Lions at Night Safari test positive for COVID-19

Out of five lions that displayed signs of the sickness, four were tested to be positive.

Charlotte Chang

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Published: 10 November 2021, 10:54 AM

Four Asiatic lions at the Night Safari have tested positive for COVID-19 after being exposed to staff from the Mandai Wildlife Group who were infected.

The four lions displayed mild symptoms of the virus, including coughing, sneezing and lethargy, on Nov 6 and 8 respectively.

The Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS), a cluster within the National Parks Board (NParks),  then tested the lions’ samples, to which all four tested positive for COVID-19 via PCR.

An African lion at the Singapore Zoo that has displayed similar symptoms is still undergoing tests.

Our Asian lions at Night Safari are recovering from the Covid virus after testing positive. For now, they are bright,...

Posted by Mandai Wildlife Reserve on Tuesday, November 9, 2021

The lions have now been isolated in their respective dens as the AVS is working with the Mandai Wildlife Group to closely monitor the health of the lions and will be testing samples from the remaining lions.

According to the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), although there have been inconsistent reports of animals being tested positive after being in close contact with infected persons in other countries, there is currently no evidence that animals play a role in the spread of the disease to humans.

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