After Hyderabad and Uttar Pradesh, the case of corona infection in Asiatic lions has also been reported in Rajasthan. On Wednesday, a Lion Tripura lion safari in Jaipur has been confirmed to have been found corona positive.
Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) officials informed on Wednesday that a lion, named Tripura, living in Jaipur zoo, tested positive for COVID. The investigation report has been confirmed by Dr KP Singh, Joint Director of the institute.
Apart from Tripura, another lion and the white tiger are under suspicion. Both of them have symptoms but the sample has not confirmed it by examination. These three lions are from the Lion Safari located in Nahargarh Biological Park on Jaipur Delhi Highway and have been living there for a long time.
According to IVRI Joint Director K P Singh, Tripura was found infected by SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19. It is suspected that the chain of transmission of the virus could have taken place through asymptomatic human carriers like caretakers of animals.
A total of 13 animal samples were received from Rajasthan’s capital including three lions, three tigers and one panther. Their sample reports were inconclusive and there is a need to resample them, he added.
As per the sources, the first eight Asiatic lions were first found in the Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad. After this, Lion’s Corona infection was found in Lion Safari in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh. Then 13 samples of animals were sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Bareilly for investigation in Lion Safari under Jaipur Zoo.
Rajasthan’s first Lion Safari was started in 2018 at Nahargarh Biological Park, Jaipur on the Jaipur-Delhi Highway. It is a biological park spread over 720 hectares and has a lion safari on 36 hectares. The Lion Safari first had 4 lions, out of which Kailash and Tejas have died and now only two have left, Lioness Tara and Tripura. Of these, Tripura has been found affected by Corona.