India closes off tiger reserves for tourism

New Delhi (CNN) – Following a series of explosions, the Indian government ordered the temporary closure of all tiger reserves for tourism Govit-19 At zoos across the country.
The National Commission for the Protection of Tigers, an organization under the Ministry of Environment, issued its order on Monday after the death of a lion that tested positive for COVID-19 a few days ago.

“The most recent occurrence of a zoo victim by Govt-19 indicates the high probability of transmission of the disease from captive humans to captive wild animals,” the order said. “A similar outbreak could occur in tiger reserves.”

The order said all tiger reserves should be closed for tourism activities until further notice to prevent further damage to tigers and other wildlife.

Tigers are a endangered species, numbering less than 4,000 on Earth Global Fund for Nature (WWF), For its abbreviation in English). Several thousand Tigers live in reserves in India, Has seen its population increase in recent years, thanks to conservation efforts such as expanding the forest and imprisoning animals for killing.

The Ariknar Anna Zoo, also known as the Vandalur Zoo Road in the southeastern city of Chennai, recently erupted, the Tamil Nadu state government said in a statement.

Many Asian lions, a dangerous creature, have only hundreds of individuals, which showed signs of disease at the zoo. 9-year-old Neela, a lion, died on Thursday. It is unknown at this time what he will do after leaving the post.

Zoo officials and a team of veterinarians immediately isolated all the lions and began treating them with antibiotics. They sent samples from lions, tigers and other large mammals for analysis, in the hope that the genetic sequence would reveal which virus could infect lions.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin visited the zoo on Sunday and discussed the situation with other wildlife ministers and officials. Stalin ordered the authorities to ensure that all zoo staff and animal keepers were vaccinated and to “provide the best possible treatment for infected lions.”

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on June 6 at the Ariknar Anna Zoo in Chennai, India.

The eruption follows the discovery of eight positive cases among lions at the Hyderabad Zoo in March. Similar explosions were reported at zoos and safari lion enclosures in Jaipur and Ettawa, the report said. As a precautionary measure, Tamil Nadu closed its zoos to visitors on April 20.

Animals have also been affected in other parts of the world. In New York, many tigers and lions Bronx Zoo They tested positive for COVID-19 in April 2020 after showing cough-like symptoms. The animals have already been rescued.

The news raised concerns among zoologists: Following the outbreak of infections at the Bronx Zoo, the National Tiger Conservation Commission of India has ordered all tigers in the country to look for signs of their tigers and ensure that all animal handlers are not covid.

The latest outbreak of the virus in India comes after the second wave of Govt-19 outbreaks, which started in mid-March and peaked in early May. It has killed tens of thousands of people, made millions sick and left the country, as well as put animals at high risk for infection, says Nicholas Astrider, dean of veterinary medicine and life sciences at Hong Kong City University.

“In India, with a high number of cases, it is no coincidence that the spread to animals is a direct result,” he said. “There are more cases in humans, and animals, including zoo animals, are more likely to be infected.”

Cats like lions and tigers are particularly susceptible to serious diseases, he said. Although the animals like Visons And ferrets can be infected and usually do not develop serious clinical symptoms, while the cat family, which includes domestic cats, is “susceptible to disease, which can actually make them sick.”

This poses a threat to dangerous creatures such as the Asian lion and the blue. Asian lions roam the habitat From Africa to Greece, But now they are found only in India, “Red list of threatened species“International Union for Conservation of Nature.

According to the WWF, only 523 known specimens remain, and they pose a widespread threat to human activities such as poaching, habitat loss and nature tourism.

The eruptions at zoos “reveal that humans can transmit pathogens to animals, in no other way,” Astrider said, now pointing to man-made diseases that threaten mountain gorilla species. “We should always have known that.”