Recovery of Lions and Tigers from COVID-19 at the Washington Zoo

Officials at the National Zoo in Washington announced yesterday that lions and tigers have recovered after contracting the coronavirus. Veterinarians stated that the lions and tigers at the Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington are improving after all of them tested positive for the virus last week. Donald Neifer, the zoo's chief veterinarian, mentioned that the lions and tigers likely contracted COVID-19 from a zookeeper who had the disease without showing symptoms, which then spread to a significant number of them. Neifer noted that the zoo observed the lions and tigers were unwell because they were moving slowly and not eating well, according to Reuters. The chief veterinarian also said, "I believe that until last Thursday, we had one animal with a poor appetite... but it wasn't something that required urgent intervention." After testing the lions and tigers and providing treatments for the symptoms of the virus, they are now recovering and will be fine soon.