Daily Times

There is no evidence cats can transmit coronavirus to people, experts have said after a tiger tested positive for the virus at a zoo in the US. The four-year-old Malayan tiger named Nadia, and six other tigers and lions that have also fallen ill, are believed to have been infected by a zoo employee who was not yet showing symptoms, the Bronx Zoo said. The first animal started showing symptoms on March 27, and all are doing well and expected to recover, according to the zoo, which has been closed to the public since March 16 amid the coronavirus outbreak in New York. But while it appears animals in the cat family can catch the virus from humans, there is no evidence the disease can travel in the other direction, scientists said. Dr Sarah Caddy, Veterinarian and Clinical Research Fellow, University of Cambridge, said reports of a tiger with Covid-19 was not wholly unexpected as new research suggests domestic cats can be infected with the virus if large doses are administered into their noses.