4 lions at Night Safari and another lion at Singapore Zoo tested positive for COVID-19
Four Asiatic lions at Night Safari have tested positive for COVID-19. (Photo: Facebook/Mandai Wildlife Group)
Four lions at the Night Safari and another lion at the Singapore Zoo have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past week, following exposure to infected staff members from Mandai Wildlife Group.
As a result, nine Asiatic lions at the Night Safari and five African lions at the Singapore Zoo have been isolated, including the five that have COVID-19, said the Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) on Wednesday (Nov 10).
There have been “sporadic and isolated” reports of animals testing positive for the virus in other countries, after they were in close contact with people who were infected.
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Singapore lions, Iowa wild deer: A look at Covid-19 spread in animal world
Infections among animals in zoos and sanctuaries have affected several types of big cats such as lions and hyenas.PHOTOS: NICHOLAS GOH/FACEBOOK, DENVER ZOO/TWITTER
The virus that causes the Covid-19 disease and is believed to have its ancestral strain in bats found in Asia has infected 250 million people across the world since the start of the pandemic in 2019. Animals have not been spared either by the Sars-CoV-2 virus.
According to the United States Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, infections among animals in zoos and sanctuaries have affected several types of big cats, otters and non-human primates. It also noted that the risk of these animals spreading the virus to people is considered to be low.
Here is a look at how the disease has been spreading in the animal kingdom:
- All Asiatic lions at Chennai's oldest zoo infected
- Big animals with small symptoms in Denver
- Wild deer cluster in Iowa
- Mass culling of minks in Denmark
- San Diego apes vaccinated
- Lions infected at Singapore zoos
Coronavirus infections in animals prompt scientific concern
Mink are the only animals known to have passed the coronavirus to humans. PHOTO: REUTERS
The decision this past week by the Danish government to kill millions of mink because of coronavirus concerns, effectively wiping out a major national industry, has put the spotlight on simmering worries among scientists and conservationists about the vulnerability of animals to the pandemic virus and what infections among animals could mean for humans.
The most disturbing possibility is that the virus could mutate in animals and become more transmissible or more dangerous to humans. In Denmark, the virus has shifted from humans to mink and back to humans, and has mutated in the process.
Mink are the only animals known to have passed the coronavirus to humans, except for the initial spillover event from an unknown species. Other animals, like cats and dogs, have been infected by exposure to humans, but there are no known cases of people being infected by exposure to their pets.
Zoo in Chennai loses two lions to Covid-19 but nurses 13 others back to health
Veterinary surgeon K. Sridhar with a coronavirus-infected lion at Chennai's Arignar Anna Zoological Park. PHOTO: ARIGNAR ANNA ZOOLOGICAL PARK
For 50 days, the staff had worked round the clock to care for the sick felines, developing what forest officials believe could be a treatment protocol for other zoos and national parks around the world.
As soon as the veterinary team at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park heard two lions cough in late May, in the middle of India's devastating second wave of the pandemic, they suspected Covid-19. To confirm it, the lions had to be tested.
Sumatran tigers at Jakarta zoo recovering from coronavirus
Tino, one of the two Sumatran tigers recovering from Covid-19, rests at Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta on July 31, 2021. PHOTO: REUTERS
Two Sumatran tigers at an Indonesian zoo are recovering from Covid-19 after they tested positive in mid-July 2021, the Jakarta government said in a statement on Sunday (Aug 1), adding that the authorities are trying to find out how they were infected.
Tino, a nine-year-old tiger, and Hari, 12, were tested for coronavirus after both showed flu-like symptoms, had trouble breathing and lost their appetite, the statement said.
The tigers have undergone 10 to 12 days of treatment and are gradually showing signs of recovery, Jakarta's head of the Parks and City Forest Office, Ms Suzi Marsitawati, said.
Tiger at New York's Bronx Zoo tests positive for coronavirus
Nadia, the 4-year-old female Malayan tiger, is expected to recover. PHOTO: REUTERS/WILDLIFE CONSERVATION SOCIETY
A tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City has tested positive for the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus, in the first known case of Covid-19 in an animal in the United States or a tiger globally, a zoo spokesman said on Sunday (April 5).
Nadia, the 4-year-old female Malayan tiger that tested positive, had developed a dry cough but is expected to recover, the Wildlife Conservation Society, which manages the zoo, said in a statement.
"We tested the cat out of an abundance of caution and will ensure any knowledge we gain about Covid-19 will contribute to the world's continuing understanding of this novel coronavirus," WCS said in the statement.
Two spotted hyenas at Denver Zoo are the first known to have Covid-19
The adult hyenas have so far exhibited mild symptoms of Covid-19. PHOTOS: DENVERZOO/TWITTER
Two spotted hyenas at the Denver Zoo have tested positive for the coronavirus, becoming the first known cases in the world among hyenas, zoo and veterinary services officials announced last Friday (Nov 5).
The adult hyenas, 22-year-old Ngozi and 23-year-old Kibo, have so far exhibited mild symptoms of Covid-19, including "a little bit of coughing and sneezing", nasal discharge and lethargy, but they are believed to be "in good shape and improving", Mr Jake Kubie, a spokesman for the Denver Zoo, said on Saturday.
The hyenas are the latest in a number of infections confirmed among animals at the Denver Zoo, with positive test results returned for 11 lions and two tigers, which Mr Kubie said "have either fully recovered or are on their way to recovery".
Snow leopard dies at US zoo after exhibiting signs of Covid-19
Baya (above) died after showing signs of a cough, followed by a lack of appetite and lethargy. PHOTO: TWITTER
Baya, aged two and a half years, exhibited signs of a cough followed by "inappetence and lethargy" and died on Thursday, according to the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. A necropsy is planned.
One of the zoo's Amur tigers tested positive for the virus that causes Covid-19 this week, the zoo said. Other big cats have exhibited symptoms.
Denmark incinerates 4 million mink, culled to curb Covid-19 mutations
Health authorities found coronavirus strains in humans and minks (above) that showed decreased sensitivity against antibodies. PHOTO: REUTERS
Denmark this week began incinerating four million mink that had been culled to curb Covid-19 mutations, but which began to resurface from mass burial sites, prompting renewed health concerns.
The Danish government last year decided to cull all of the country's 17 million mink to curb a Covid-19 mutation and because the mammal was considered likely to host future mutations.
Some were buried in pits in a military area in western Denmark under 2m of soil, only for some to resurface in less than a month. Contaminants were later found under the graves in an examination carried out on behalf of the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, prompting the government to order the incineration of the the animals.
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Four lions at zoo in Spain test positive for Covid-19
A 2018 photo of lions at a zoo in London ahead of World Lion Day. PHOTO: AFP
Four lions at Barcelona Zoo have tested positive for Covid-19, veterinary authorities said, in one of just a handful of documented cases globally in which large felines have contracted coronavirus.
Three females named Zala, Nima and Run Run, and Kiumbe, a male, were tested after keepers noticed they showed slight symptoms of coronavirus.
Two staff at the zoo also tested positive for coronavirus, the authorities said on Tuesday (Dec 8), after the outbreak was first detected last month.
Spain to cull nearly 100,000 mink with coronavirus
Employees clear the remains of culled mink from a farm in the Netherlands on July 10, 2020. PHOTO: EPA-EFE
Speaking to reporters, Joaquin Olona, agriculture minister for the Aragon region, said the cull would involve the slaughter of some 92,700 mink who are prized for their pelt.
Located in Puebla de Valverde, about 100 kilometres north-west of the coastal resort of Valencia, the mink farm has been carefully monitored since May 22 after seven workers tested positive for Covid-19, he said.
Gorillas at San Diego zoo test positive for Covid-19
US officials said this is the first known instance of natural transmission to great apes. PHOTO: REUTERS
At least two gorillas at California's San Diego Zoo have caught the coronavirus, the first known instance of natural transmission to great apes, officials said Monday (Jan 11).
Two primates began coughing last week and have since tested positive for Covid-19, while a third is showing symptoms, Governor Gavin Newsom said.
They are thought to have contracted the virus from an asymptomatic zoo worker, though this has yet to be confirmed.
9 great apes in San Diego become first non-human primates vaccinated for Covid-19
A troop of eight gorillas at the affiliated San Diego Zoo Safari Park fell ill with Covid-19 in January. PHOTO: NYTIMES
Nine great apes at the San Diego Zoo - four orangutans and five bonobos - made veterinary history in recent weeks as the world's first non-human primates known to be vaccinated against Covid-19, zoo officials said on Thursday (March 4).
One of the recipients was a 28-year-old female Sumatran orangutan named Karen who had garnered headlines at the zoo when she became the first ape to undergo open-heart surgery in 1994.
Each of the nine animals received two doses of an experimental vaccine originally designed for dogs and cats, with the apes exhibiting no adverse reactions, and are all doing well, zoo spokeswoman Darla Davis said in an email to Reuters.
File photo of Asiatic lions. (Photo: AFP)
Eight Asiatic lions at an Indian zoo have contracted the coronavirus, the government said on Tuesday (May 4), adding that there was no evidence that animals could transmit the disease to humans.
Zoo authorities in the southern state of Hyderabad shared samples with a government research laboratory on Mar 24 after the lions showed signs of respiratory distress. The test results come amid a huge surge in coronavirus infections among humans in India.
"Based on experience with zoo animals elsewhere in the world that have experienced SARS-COV2 positive last year, there is no factual evidence that animals can transmit the disease to humans any further," the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said.
2 rare Sumatran tigers recovering after catching COVID-19
In this photo released by Jakarta province government, a Sumatran tiger who contracted COVID-19 looks out from a cage at the Ragunan Zoo in Jakarta, Indonesia, Jul 31, 2021. (Dadang Kusuma WS/Jakarta Province Government via AP)
Two rare Sumatran tigers at the zoo in the Indonesian capital are recovering after being infected with COVID-19. Nine-year-old Tino became ill with shortness of breath, sneezing, and a runny nose on Jul 9. He also lost his appetite.
Two days later, 12-year-old Hari was showing the same symptoms. Swabs were taken and results came back positive for COVID-19, Suzi Marsitawati from the Jakarta Parks and Forestry Agency said in a statement on Sunday (Aug 1).
The tigers were immediately treated with antibiotics, antihistamines, anti-inflammatory drugs and multivitamins. They were getting better after 10 to 12 days, and have now recovered under close observation at Jakarta's Ragunan Zoo.
Tigers, bears, ferrets get COVID-19 vaccine at Oakland Zoo
Tigers at the Oakland Zoo are trained to voluntarily present themselves for minor medical procedures, including COVID-19 vaccinations. (Photo: Oakland Zoo via AP)
A San Francisco Bay Area zoo is inoculating its big cats, bears and ferrets against the coronavirus as part of a national effort to protect animal species using an experimental vaccine.
Tigers Ginger and Molly were the first two animals at the Oakland Zoo to get the vaccine this week, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Saturday. The doses were donated and developed by veterinary pharmaceutical company Zoetis in New Jersey. Alex Herman, vice president of veterinary services at the zoo, said none of the animals have gotten the virus, but they wanted to be proactive. Tigers, black and grizzly bears, mountain lions and ferrets were the first to receive the first of two doses. Next are primates and pigs.
In a press release, she said the zoo has used barriers for social distancing and staff have worn protective gear to protect susceptible species. “We’re happy and relieved to now be able to better protect our animals with this vaccine,” she said.
No plans yet to vaccinate animals at Spore's zoo and wildlife parks against Covid-19
The Mandai Wildlife Group said that more understanding of the safety and efficacy of vaccination for animals is needed. ST PHOTO: KEVIN LIM
None of the animals at Singapore's zoo or wildlife parks has been vaccinated against Covid-19 and there are currently no plans to do so, said the Mandai Wildlife Group.
Responding to queries from The Straits Times, it said on Tuesday (Nov 9) evening that more understanding of the safety and efficacy of vaccination for animals is needed.
"We are checking in with our global zoo counterparts who have started trialling vaccinations for some of their high-profile animals," it added.
Pet cats killed in Chinese city after Covid-19 infection, triggering social media anger
A community worker said the cats would have continued to leave viral traces in the room. PHOTO: REUTERS
The owner of the cats was diagnosed with Covid-19 on Sept 21 and the local disease control agency euthanised her three cats, which tested positive later, despite her objections, Beijing News reported late on Tuesday.
"There is probably no professional medical treatment for animals infected with the novel coronavirus," a community worker said in an interview with Beijing News, explaining why the cats were killed.
Can we pass Covid-19 to our pets?
The vast majority of the millions of Sars-CoV-2 infections have been human-to-human transmissions and it appears that animal-to-human transmission is extremely rare. PHOTO: ST FILE
Last week, an Asiatic lion at a zoo in India died from it. Its death prompted the testing of dozens of elephants at a forest reserve in the country. Tigers in India have also been tested.
Russia reportedly started vaccinating pets at veterinary clinics with its Carnivak-Cov vaccine in late May.
Seoul launches Covid-19 tests for pets
Tests will be limited to pets that show symptoms after coming into contact with humans who have tested positive. PHOTO: REUTERS
The programme in the sprawling South Korean capital comes weeks after the country reported its first case of Covid-19 infection in an animal, involving a kitten.
"Starting today, the Seoul metropolitan government will offer coronavirus tests for pet dogs and cats," Ms Park Yoo-mi, a Seoul city official handling disease control, told reporters.
Are your pets at risk of COVID-19, and what should you do if you suspect they are infected?
File photo of dogs and their owners at a pet event in Singapore. (Photo: AFP/Simin WANG)
Pet owners who test positive for COVID-19 should isolate themselves – including from their pets – but there is no need to be overly worried about the animals falling sick from the coronavirus, experts said.
While there have been some reports outside Singapore of dogs and cats contracting the virus, the cases are sporadic, isolated and numbers are very much lower as compared to human cases, said Dr Han Zi Yang, veterinary consultant at VetTrust Singapore.
"Pet owners should not be overly worried at this stage and should continue to adopt the same set of good hygiene measures in pet care," he said. This involves regular handwashing before and after handling the pet, its food and supplies, and avoiding sharing food with it, added Dr Han, who is also the honorary auditor of the Singapore Veterinary Association.
Pet cat and dog in two separate areas in Hong Kong test positive for COVID-19
While there is no evidence animals such as dogs and cats can catch the virus or transmit it to humans, Hong Kong authorities say pets of infected people should be quarantined for 14 days. (Photo: AFP/DALE DE LA REY)
A pet cat and dog living in two separate areas of Hong Kong have tested positive for COVID-19. The cases involve a Scottish short-haired cat that lived in Tsuen Wan, a town in Hong Kong's New Territories, and a Yorkshire Terrier dog that lived in Sham Shui Po, Kowloon.
Samples collected from the pets were sent to the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) and came back positive for the coronavirus, a department spokesman said on Wednesday (Aug 5). "When the owners were found to be close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases, the cat and the dog were sent for quarantine at the AFCD on Jul 31."
Neither of the animals have showed any symptoms, the department said, adding that it will continue to monitor the pets closely and repeat the COVID-19 test on them.
6 countries reported COVID-19 in mink farms, say WHO
Minks are seen at a farm in Denmark, which has ordered the slaughter of all the estimated 15 million to 17 million minks in the country. (Photo: Reuters/Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen)
Denmark and the United States are among six countries that have reported new coronavirus cases linked to mink farms, the World Health Organization said. Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden are the other nations to have discovered SARS-CoV-2 in minks, WHO said in a statement.
Denmark has imposed strict measures on the north of the country after warning that a mutation of the virus had jumped from minks to humans and infected 12 people.
Copenhagen has warned the mutation could threaten the effectiveness of any future vaccine and has ordered the slaughter of all the estimated 15-17 million minks in the country.
WHO looking at global mink farm biosecurity after Denmark's mutated COVID-19 strain
The headquarters of the World Health Organization (WHO) are pictured during the World Health Assembly (WHA) following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 18, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Denis Balibouse)
The World Health Organization is looking at biosecurity around mink farms in countries across the world to prevent further "spillover events" after Denmark ordered a national mink cull due to an outbreak of coronavirus infections in the animals.
Maria van Kerkhove, the WHO's technical lead for COVID-19, told a briefing in Geneva on Friday (Nov 6) that transmission of the virus between animals and humans was "a concern".
She also added that mutations in viruses are normal. "These type of changes in the virus are something we have been tracking since the beginning." The risk was much lower in animals other than mink, a second WHO expert said.
France rules out mutated COVID-19 in mink farm case
FILE PHOTO: A mink is seen at the farm of the representative of the Panhellenic association of fur animal breeders Konstantinos Chionos in the village of Mikrokastro, Greece, Nov 14, 2020. (Photo: REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis/File Photo)
A coronavirus outbreak detected last month on a mink farm in France did not involve a mutated strain of the virus, the agriculture ministry said on Wednesday (Dec 9).
Denmark's discovery of a variant form of the novel coronavirus that passed from humans to mink and back to humans led the country to slaughter all of its 17 million farmed mink. The outbreak in France led the authorities to cull all the animals at the mink farm in the Eure-et-Loir region southwest of Paris.
"Sequencing analysis of the virus discovered in the Eure-et-Loir farm allows us to exclude any contamination by a variant of SARS-COV-2," the agriculture ministry said in a statement. The SARS-COV-2 virus causes the COVID-19 disease.
Great apes in San Diego become first non-human primates to receive COVID-19 vaccination
One of the recipients was a 28-year-old female Sumatran orangutan named Karen who garnered headlines at the zoo when she became the first ape to undergo open heart surgery in 1994. (Screengrab: Facebook/San Diego Zoo)
Nine great apes at the San Diego Zoo - four orangutans and five bonobos - made veterinary history in recent weeks as the world's first non-human primates known to be vaccinated against COVID-19, zoo officials said on Thursday (Mar 4). One of the recipients was a 28-year-old female Sumatran orangutan named Karen who had garnered headlines at the zoo when she became the first ape to undergo open-heart surgery in 1994.
Each of the nine animals received two doses of an experimental vaccine originally designed for dogs and cats, with the apes exhibiting no adverse reactions, and are all doing well, zoo spokeswoman Darla Davis said in an email to Reuters.
Zoo officials went ahead with the shots over concerns about the animals' well-being after a troop of eight gorillas at the affiliated San Diego Zoo Safari Park fell ill with COVID-19 in January, marking the first known transmission of the virus to great apes.
More Evidence Emerges That A Wide Variety Of Animals Can Host The Virus Causing Covid-19
A mink mother and two babies scout their path from underneath a rock. Some minks have been infected GETTY
If all the animal species that could host the coronavirus were put together, you'd have a respectable zoo. A recent study suggests that the virus SARS-CoV-2 can infect a broad range of mammals, which means that if given the chance, the virus could spill over into these species.
Scientists are concerned that if this coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, gains a foothold in other species, new variants could form that would be more transmissible or harder to defend against. "To prevent a future outbreak we need to monitor these species to prevent animal to human transmission," said Qiang Ding, senior author of the new study and assistant professor at the Centre for Infectious Diseases at Tsinghua University School of Medicine.
This recent study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, adds to the evidence that dozens of mammals might be susceptible to Covid-19. This study only looked at the susceptibility of different animals' cell receptors to the virus rather than studying animals themselves, but real-world evidence is backing up the data. It’s not unusual for a virus to infect multiple species. SARS-CoV-2, infects a wide range of species, but that's typical of coronaviruses according to University College London microbiology professor Joanne Santini. "Coronaviruses generally have a broad host range," she said.
The search for animals harbouring coronavirus — and why it matters
Scientists are monitoring pets, livestock and wildlife to work out where SARS-CoV-2 could hide, and whether it could resurge
Ever since the coronavirus started spreading around the world, scientists have worried that it could leap from people into wild animals. If so, it might lurk in various species, possibly mutate and then resurge in humans even after the pandemic has subsided. That would bring the tale of SARS-CoV-2 full circle, because wild animals probably brought it to humans in the first place. Strong evidence suggests that the virus originated in horseshoe bats (Rhinolophus spp.), possibly hitching a ride on other animals before infecting people1. In the current stage of the pandemic, with hundreds of thousands of confirmed COVID-19 infections every day, people are still driving transmission of SARS-CoV-2. But years from now, when community spread has been suppressed, a reservoir of SARS-CoV-2 in free-roaming animals could become a recalcitrant source of new flare-ups.
Wild animals are not the only ones to have drawn scrutiny. Studies have shown that SARS-CoV-2 can infect many domesticated and captive creatures, from cats and dogs, to pumas, gorillas and snow leopards in zoos, and farmed mink. Outbreaks in mink farms have already shown that infected animals can pass the virus back to humans. Although these cases have raised concerns, researchers are less worried about viral outbreaks in domestic and farmed animals because such eruptions can be kept in check through quarantining, vaccination and culling. If the virus spreads in wild animals, however, it will be much more difficult to control. “Then there is no hope for eradication,” says Gryseels. In theory, the virus could evolve as it circulates among animals — possibly in ways that threaten the efficacy of vaccines or make the pathogen more deadly and infectious to people, says Arinjay Banerjee, a coronavirus researcher at McMaster University in Hamilton, Canada. “Not to sound any alarms, but everything we don’t want to see with this virus seems to happen,” he says.
Which Animals Most Vulnerable to COVID Infection?
Humans, ferrets, cats, civets and dogs are the animals most susceptible to infection with the new coronavirus, researchers say. The analysis of 10 species also found that ducks, rats, mice, pigs and chickens were less or not susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
"Knowing which animals are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 helps us prevent building up animal reservoirs from which the coronavirus can re-emerge at a later date," said the study's senior author, Luis Serrano. "Our findings offer a clue for why minks -- which are closely related to the ferret -- are being infected by the disease, which is probably made worse by their packed living conditions and close contact with human workers," he added. Serrano is director of the Center for Genomic Regulation in Barcelona, Spain.
"Though we also find a potential susceptibility to infection by cats, they don't co-exist with humans in the same conditions as other animals, which may explain why so far there are no known cases of people being infected by their pets," Serrano said in a center news release.
The study was published online recently in the journal PLOS Computational Biology.
COVID-19 and pets: Can dogs and cats get coronavirus?
While coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mostly spreads from person to person, it can also spread from people to animals. COVID-19 is a type of coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a family of viruses. Some cause cold-like illnesses in people, and others cause illness in animals, such as bats. In addition, some coronaviruses infect only animals. While the specific source of origin isn't known, the virus that causes COVID-19 is believed to have started in an animal, spread to humans and then spread between people.
Coronavirus in dogs and cats - According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a few pets — including cats and dogs — also have been infected with the virus that causes COVID-19. This happened mostly after the animals were in close contact with people infected with the COVID-19 virus. Based on the limited available information, the risk of animals spreading the COVID-19 virus to people is considered low. Animals don't appear to play a significant role in spreading the virus that causes COVID-19. There is no evidence that viruses can spread to people or other animals from a pet's skin, fur or hair. However, keep in mind that young children, people with weakened immune systems, and people age 65 and older are more likely to get sick from some other germs that animals can carry.
To protect your pet from the COVID-19 virus, don't let your dog or cat interact with people or animals outside your household. For example:
- Avoid dog parks or public places where many people and dogs gather.
- When walking your dog, make sure your dog wears a leash and keep your dog at least 6 feet (2 meters) from other people and animals.
- Keep cats indoors when possible.
COVID-19 and Animals
Large cats are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2. Image Credit: Milkovasa / Shutterstock.com
A novel coronavirus that was first reported in China in December 2019 quickly led to a global pandemic. Named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus causes COVID-19 in humans and has subsequently devastated economies and healthcare systems worldwide. Whilst highly contagious between humans, current evidence regarding transmission between animals and humans suggests that animals do not play a significant role in spreading the infection. However, more research is needed to understand how animals are affected by COVID-19 and when human-animal transmission may occur.
SARS-CoV-2 and animals - The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a current global disease outbreak first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. Subsequently named the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), it belongs to a large family of viruses named Coronaviridae. Some strains belonging to the Coronaviridae family affect humans, such as the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), some can affect animals such as kennel cough in dogs or feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) in cats. However, some strains can affect both humans and animals.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Some coronaviruses cause cold-like illnesses in people, while others cause illness in certain animals, such as cattle, camels, and bats. Some coronaviruses, such as canine and feline coronaviruses, infect only animals and do not infect people. COVID-19 has been classified as a zoonotic disease. A zoonosis is defined as any disease which is naturally communicable between humans and vertebrate animals. Whilst the initial detection of the virus has been pinpointed to the Huanan Seafood Wholesale (Wet) Market, with live purchase and slaughter of over one hundred domestic and wildlife animals, the exact origin is yet to be identified. However, based on similarities between the current coronavirus and previous similar viruses, it is likely that it originated in either bats or pangolins.
What you need to know about COVID-19 and Pets and Other Animals
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that range from the common cold to Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). About 20 percent of colds are the result of a human coronavirus. Animal species have their own coronaviruses that cause a variety of illnesses. The dog, cat, pig, and cattle coronaviruses are very common and do not cause illness in people.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, originated from wild animals (likely bats) in China. Due to mutations that created a new virus, it developed the ability to infect humans and spread efficiently from person to person. A few dogs and cats living with COVID-19 patients have tested positive for the presence of virus. Research is ongoing in multiple species to study how animals may be affected. It is not surprising that SARS-CoV-2 can infect some animals under certain conditions. Other human viruses like H1N1 influenza and SARS-CoV-1, which is very similar to SARS-CoV-2, have also spread from people to animals in low numbers, most notably in cats, ferrets, and pigs. There is no evidence to suggest that a naturally infected animal is capable of transmitting infection back to humans.
COVID-19 is spread from person to person; the risk to animals is very low and the risk from animals is even lower. There is no reason to harm wildlife or abandon a pet out of fear, and fortunately, this does not seem to be an issue in the U.S. In fact, more people are fostering or adopting cats and dogs during the pandemic. The relationship with a pet can be a great source of comfort, helping to decrease depression, anxiety, and stress.
Can animals get COVID-19?
There is preliminary evidence that domestic, laboratory and zoo animals can be infected with the new coronavirus causing COVID-19, but no evidence that these animals can spread infection to people. A small number of dogs and cats, including a tiger and a lion, have tested positive for the virus after close contact with people with COVID-19. Recent research has shown that ferrets and cats can be experimentally infected with the virus and can spread the infection to other animals of the same species in laboratory studies.
With the rapid global spread of SARS-CoV-2, one concern has been whether the new coronavirus can spread between people and their pets. There have been isolated reports of infections in domestic cats and dogs, as well as a tiger and a lion at a New York zoo. The tiger and lion had been kept in a group that had developed respiratory signs over the course of a week and later recovered following supportive treatment. The infected animals had all been in close contact with infected people, raising questions about the transmission dynamics of the virus between humans and other animals.
Early research has focussed on finding out how susceptible different animals are to the new coronavirus, to better inform control measures and to protect the welfare of humans and their pets.
Animals and COVID-19
Based on the available information to date, the risk of animals spreading SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to people is considered to be low. We are still learning about this virus, but we know that it can spread from people to animals in some situations, especially during close contact. More studies are needed to understand if and how different animals could be affected by COVID-19. People with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should avoid contact with animals, including pets, livestock, and wildlife.
Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses. Some coronaviruses cause cold-like illnesses in people, while others cause illness in certain types of animals, such as cattle, camels, and bats. Some coronaviruses, such as canine and feline coronaviruses, infect only animals and do not infect people. At this time, there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to people. More studies are needed to understand if and how different animals could be affected by SARS-CoV-2. Some coronaviruses that infect animals can be spread to people and then spread between people, but this is rare. This is what happened with SARS-CoV-2, which likely originated in bats.
Reports of animals infected with SARS-CoV-2 have been documented around the world. Most of these animals became infected after contact with people with COVID-19, including owners, caretakers, or others who were in close contact. We don’t yet know all of the animals that can get infected. Animals reported infected include:
- Companion animals, including pet cats, dogs, and ferrets.
- Animals in zoos and sanctuaries, including several types of big cats, otters, and non-human primates.
- Mink on mink farms.
- Wild white-tailed deer in several U.S. states.
HOW DO ANIMALS GET INFECTED?
Animals would need to be in close contact with an infected human or animal for the virus to be transmitted, said Professor Dale Fisher, senior consultant at the National University Hospital's (NUH) Division of Infectious Diseases. Prof Fisher said the virus could also enter a mucosal surface when animals lick a contaminated surface.
Airborne spread in poorly ventilated, overcrowded animal places is also "quite possible", he said, pointing to the spread of COVID-19 in mink farms overseas.
The lions at the Night Safari had come in contact with keepers who were infected with the coronavirus:
- HOW ARE ANIMALS TESTED FOR COVID-19?
- HOW ARE ANIMALS TREATED AND QUARANTINED?
- ARE ANIMALS AT RISK OF DEVELOPING SERIOUS ILLNESS?
- CAN ANIMALS TRANSMIT THE VIRUS?
- ARE SOME SPECIES MORE LIKELY TO BE INFECTED?
- WHAT STEPS WILL BE TAKEN TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ANIMALS CATCHING COVID-19?
169 inmates are Covid-19 positive, including prisoners on death row: Singapore Prison Service
The Singapore Prison Service (SPS) said on Thursday (Nov 11) that 169 inmates across all prison facilities are Covid-19 positive as at Wednesday (Nov 10).
In response to queries from The Straits Times, SPS said that of these 169, 116 are from Institution A1 of Changi Prison Complex.
These 116 tested positive from Nov 6 to 10, and include prisoners on death row.
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