Tamil Nadu: Covid Test For Elephants After Virus Kills Lion

Covid-19 has claimed several lives so far. Earlier, there were reports that animals too had been affected by the virus. The latest we hear is that 28 elephants have tested for COVID-19 on Tuesday at Mudumalai Tiger Reserve near Chennai.

The samples were sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Uttar Pradesh, and the results should be available in a few days.
At the Arignar Anna Zoological Park, a lioness died of COVID-19, and a few more lions tested positive for the virus.

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Following this, Tamil Nadu Forest Minister Ramachandran ordered that all elephants in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve be tested for COVID-19.

Trunk wash and rectal swab samples were taken from all 28 elephants in this special camp and forwarded to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Uttar Pradesh. The test was carried out on all 28 elephants, in the age group of 2 to 60 years, and the findings are due in a few days, said Dhyanandhan, Forest Ranger, Theppakkad Elephant Camp

Two lionesses at Etawah Safari Park in Uttar Pradesh tested positive for COVID-19 last month, and eight Asiatic lions at the Nehru Zoological Park (NZP) in Hyderabad tested positive for the virus on May 4.