Guwahati News Desk: The Wildlife Protection State Minister, Wimalaweera Dissanayake, stated that after the two lions in Sri Lanka’s, Dehiwala Zoo, had tested positive for Covid-19 last month, now two chimpanzees and two orangutans have been suspected to be infected with the virus.
The Minister stated on Monday, that the relevant officials had been advised to conduct further investigation to confirm whether the four animals were infected with the virus or not.
Regarding the last month’s case, an 11-year-old lion named “Thor” at the Dehiwala Zoo, had tested Covid-19 positive, making it the first known case of an animal contracting the virus in the country.
Meanwhile, the health experts informed that he recovered after receiving proper medical treatment.
After Thor, the other positive case occurred a few days later, when a 12-year-old lioness named “Sheena”, sheltered at the same zoo, also tested positive for the virus. Sheena too has recovered since, as stated by the wildlife officials.
Infact, the entire staff at the Dehiwala Zoo, had to undergo two weeks’ quarantine.
Regarding the previous two positive cases, Wimalaweera had stated, “When there are suspected cases or when an animal dies while showing signs of respiratory issues, we analyze such samples in order to rule out COVID-19 infection to animals.”
