A Belgian zoo has said that its two hippopotamuses have been taken into quarantine after testing positive for coronavirus. It is unclear how Imani, aged 14, and Hermien, 41, caught the virus, Antwerp Zoo said, adding the animals were doing well – apart from having runny noses. According to BBC News, Restrictions have been tightened at the zoo until the animals test negative.
CNN stated: “To my knowledge, this is the first known contamination in this species. Globally, this virus has mostly been reported in great apes and felines,” said the zoo’s veterinarian Francis Vercammen, who oversaw their testing for the coronavirus.
Covid-19 infections in zoo animals and pets have been reported around the world, including in big cats, primates, ferrets, and minks, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Last month, three snow leopards at a zoo in Nebraska died of complications from the virus. Companion animals, especially cats and dogs, are the leading group of animal species impacted by coronavirus. While animal-to-human transmission risk is low, people can spread coronavirus to pets, CDC officials have warned.
