Two lions test positive for Covid-19 at a safari park in India

Two lions at the Etawah Safari Park in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh have tested positive for Covid-19, according to officials at the park.

The samples were sent for testing after both the lions were found to have high temperatures.

Authorities added that the pair were in stable condition. They have been kept in self-isolation with their health being monitored regularly.

This comes after eight lions had tested positive for the same at the Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad earlier this week.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had previously stated that based on experience with other zoo animals who had also tested positive for Covid-19 across the globe, there is “no factual evidence that animals can transmit the disease to humans any further.

The Etawah Safari park has been closed to visitors due to the rise in Covid-19 cases across the state of Uttar Pradesh, home to 200 million people according to India’s 2011 census. The country’s most populous state recorded a seven day rolling average of 28,765 cases Friday, according to data from John Hopkins University.