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Snow Leopard At San Diego Zoo Tests Positive For COVID-19, In Quarantine With 3 Other Leopards

July 26, 2021 / 9:40 AM PDT / KCAL News

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SAN DIEGO (CBSLA) — A male snow leopard at the San Diego Zoo is under observation Monday after being tested for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Wildlife care specialists at the zoo noticed the snow leopard had a cough and nasal discharge Thursday, officials said. Fecal samples from the snow leopard tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and were confirmed by the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System.

The positive tests have been since sent to the USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratory, where the results are still pending, zoo officials said.

Snow Leopard at the San Diego Zoo Suspected Positive for COVID-19 Male Snow Leopard Is Being Closely Monitored by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance Veterinary Team SAN DIEGO (July 23, 2021) – A male snow leopard at the San Diego Zoo is suspected to be positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. On Thursday, July 22, wildlife care specialists noticed that the snow leopard had a cough and nasal discharge. Fecal samples collected from the snow leopard and tested at the Zoo confirmed the presence of SARS-CoV-2. The results were sent to the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System (CAHFS) for further testing, and those results also were positive. All positive tests for SARS-CoV-2 are required to be sent to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL), where the results are still pending. The male snow leopard appears to be doing well, and is showing no additional symptoms other than the cough and runny nose. He shares his habitat with a female snow leopard and two Amur leopards. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance veterinarians assume these three individuals have also been exposed. They are currently being quarantined in their habitat. Veterinarians are monitoring them closely, and will treat symptoms as they may arise. Because these Amur leopards and snow leopards are being quarantined, their habitat will be closed to Zoo visitors until further notice. It is not yet known how the male snow leopard acquired the infection. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has always had biosecurity protocols in place, and adopted heightened protocols around wildlife at the onset of the pandemic last year. The San Diego Zoo and the San Diego Zoo Safari Park's biosecurity practices include the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning and disinfection protocols, quarantine procedures for new arrivals and preventive medicine practices, such as vaccination. All employees are provided N95 face masks, a

According to the zoo, the snow leopard appears to be doing well and is not showing other symptoms. But he does share his habitat with a female snow leopard and two Amur leopards. Veterinarians assume the other leopards have been exposed, and they are being quarantined in their habitat, which will be closed to zoo visitors until further notice.

"While we await the results of tests to determine if the snow leopard is positive for the virus that causes COVID-19, we can assure you the snow leopard and the Amur leopards who share his habitat are receiving excellent care," Dwight Scott, executive director of the San Diego Zoo, said in a statement.

It's not known how the male snow leopard acquired the infection. The zoo says it provides N95 masks to all employees, and those who are not vaccinated are required to wear masks and practice health and safety protocols at all times.

The San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance says they have received a donation of COVID-19 vaccine intended for nonhuman use and are currently administering doses as quickly and safely as possible to the animals most at risk of contracting the virus --- including leopards, lions, tigers, cheetahs, jaguars, mountain lions, and others. The male snow leopard had not yet been vaccinated.

In January, a troop of gorillas at the neighboring Safari Park contracted SARS-CoV-2 from an asymptomatic wildlife care specialist, but they have since fully recovered. The San Diego Zoo Wildlife alliance says they are sharing information about animal infection, transmission, and treatment with conservation organizations and wildlife care professionals around the world.