COVID-19: Lucknow zoo takes precautionary measures for staff and animals

Amid dely coronavirus outbreak, Director of Luckw Zoo on Monday said that Zoo was taking ditional precautionary measures for animals and its staff. Among or precautionary measures include food provided to animals being disinfected, official said. 

Speaking to media, Zoo Director Rajendra Kumar Singh said, "Only 50 per cent of Luckw Zoo's staff are working and y are maintaining high standards of hygiene. We are disinfecting food before providing it to animals. We have also me a quarantine ward for animals possibly infected by COVID-19 if need arises." 

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Zoo's at highest alert 

Meanwhile, Central Zoo Authority (CZA) has asked all zoos across country to monitor health of kept animals as a precautionary measure to contain spre of COVID-19 after a tiger in a US zoo tested positive for virus.

In a letter to all States and Union Territories, CZA Member Secretary SP Yav said that United States Department of Agriculture's National Veterinary Services Laboratories has confirmed COVID-19 in a tiger at Bronx Zoo in New York. "Zoos in country are, refore, vised to remain on highest alertness, and monitor animals 24X7 using CCTVs for any abrmal behaviour or symptoms," it said.

RE | Zoos Across India Put On High Alert After Tiger Tests Positive For COVID-19 In US

authority said carnivores, especially cats, ferrets, and primates, need to be carefully monitored and fortnightly samples of suspected cases are sent to designated animal health institutes for COVID-19 testing. samples can be sent to National Institute of High-Security Animal Disease in Bhopal, National Research Centre on Equines in Haryana's Hisar and Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly, Uttar Presh, letter said.

Earlier, a four-year-old Malayan tiger at Bronx Zoo in New York has tested positive for coronavirus infection. female tiger, named Nia, is believed to be first kwn case of an animal infected with COVID-19 in US. It is suspected that she contracted virus from a caretaker who was asymptomatic at that time. incident has raised concerns over wher infection can be transmitted between animals and humans. According to media reports, a Pomeranian dog in Hong Kong also tested positive for COVID-19 last month.

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(With ncies input)