High alert at Mysuru Zoo, Pilikula Park amid reports of animals getting coronavirus

With a tiger testing positive for COVID-19 in the US, the Mysuru Zoo authorities have taken measures to contain the spread of the disease as per the directions of the Central Zoo Authority (CZA).

The zoo is on high alert and animal keepers are not allowed to enter the enclosures without safety gear. Thermal screening is mandatory before entering the zoo and staff are provided masks, gloves and sanitisers.

The CZA has told zoo authorities to spray disinfectant near enclosures and monitor the animals’ behaviors.

Zoo Authority of Karnataka Member Secretary B P Ravi said that COVID-19 was detected in a domestic cat two weeks ago in Hong Kong. “After the bird flu case in Mysuru, we have taken precautions to combat COVID-19” he added.

Measures taken at Pilikula Park

Meanwhile, similarly precautionary measures have been put in place at Pilikula Biological Park in Mangaluru.

“We are strictly adhering to the safety and disinfection protocol issued by Zoo Authority of India. Animals are tested by veterinary staff daily. As there is a shortage of red meat due to the lockdown, animals are being fed chicken. There are no symptoms of COVID-19 here so far,” Park Director H J Jayaprakash Bhandary said.