Bronx Zoo Tiger tests positive to COVID-19 at Bronx Zoo

Arizona Docent said:
But the same (presumably infected) keeper probably works with both groups of animals. This is truly distressing.
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That would be rather inefficient staffing. The Malay Tigers are in Wild Asia, the Amur Tigers in Tiger Mountain, and the Lions in Africa. Each of those locations is over a quarter mile away from any of the others. I'd be surprised if they all had the same keeper, but maybe. Or it could have been a supervisor or curator with contact with all three groups.

CORRECTION: This article, the most detailed I could find, says all the tigers with symptoms are at Tiger Mountain. That still leaves the question about whether the same keeper works with both those tigers and the lions, which are close to half a mile away from Tiger Mountain. Bronx Zoo tiger infected with COVID-19 | Live Science
 
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nczoofan said:
From what I understand the person was asymptotic at the time but has now been tested, and come baxk positive.
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Where did you get that understanding? All the news articles I can find say that the zoo doesn't know who infected the cats.
 
Gomphothere said:
This article, the most detailed I could find, says all the tigers with symptoms are at Tiger Mountain
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Most of the newpapers said that is was a Malayan tiger(ess?) that was first to test positive. Its name is Nadia I believe. Of course the newspapers could be wrong.
 
Junklekitteb said:
Most of the newpapers said that is was a Malayan tiger(ess?) that was first to test positive. Its name is Nadia I believe. Of course the newspapers could be wrong.
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That's clearly correct information directly from the zoo. The livescience article indicates she lives at Tiger Mountain.
 
Gomphothere said:
That would be rather inefficient staffing. The Malay Tigers are in Wild Asia, the Amur Tigers in Tiger Mountain, and the Lions in Africa. Each of those locations is over a quarter mile away from any of the others. I'd be surprised if they all had the same keeper, but maybe. Or it could have been a supervisor or curator with contact with all three groups.

CORRECTION: This article, the most detailed I could find, says all the tigers with symptoms are at Tiger Mountain. That still leaves the question about whether the same keeper works with both those tigers and the lions, which are close to half a mile away from Tiger Mountain. Bronx Zoo tiger infected with COVID-19 | Live Science
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I repeat:
Large zoos tend to have keepers that specifically work with big cat (or at least carnivores in general) since they tend to have to be specially trained due to how dangerous the animals can be. The asymptomatic keeper was likely one of such keepers and was specifically assigned to the tigers and Lions (among other non-felids) that shift or perhaps in general. Either that, or the cats living along the monorail simply got lucky if the keeper cared for all of them.

Regardless, most keepers (especially for mammals) do not just work in one part of the zoo.

~Thylo
 
A lot of wild speculation on a topic where there is little info.
You do not know who was the vector for the disease and you may never get to know.
What purpose is served by concocting tales and rationales, criticizing or applauding the zoo's staffing decisions based on your own speculation about how the cats got infected?
 
ThylacineAlive said:
I repeat:
Large zoos tend to have keepers that specifically work with big cat (or at least carnivores in general) since they tend to have to be specially trained due to how dangerous the animals can be. The asymptomatic keeper was likely one of such keepers and was specifically assigned to the tigers and Lions (among other non-felids) that shift or perhaps in general. Either that, or the cats living along the monorail simply got lucky if the keeper cared for all of them.

Regardless, most keepers (especially for mammals) do not just work in one part of the zoo.

~Thylo
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Thylo is completely right. The Zoo showed senior keeper Kris Theiss working with all the tigers, Nadia and Azul from the time they "graduated" from being cubs hand-reared by Kathleen LaMattina and moved to Tiger Mountain, to breeding attempts of Amur tigers Yuri and Sasha in the Asia Trail barn. One of the largest populations in the zoo is golf carts, because many keepers care for animals in different exhibits separated by large distances. While we've only spoken of cats, there are quite a few other species that appear in two different places like the red pandas and rhinos. The same rhino keeper appears on TV at both Zoo Center and Asia Trail. Frankly, having a keeper like Theiss serve all of the cats enables them to be rotated among the different exhibits as necessary for breeding or enrichment. I have seen both Malayan and Amur tigers both in Tiger Mountain and in Asia Trail, and Kris Theiss is their senior keeper.
 
AmbikaFan said:
Thylo is completely right. The Zoo showed senior keeper Kris Theiss working with all the tigers, Nadia and Azul from the time they "graduated" from being cubs hand-reared by Kathleen LaMattina and moved to Tiger Mountain, to breeding attempts of Amur tigers Yuri and Sasha in the Asia Trail barn. One of the largest populations in the zoo is golf carts, because many keepers care for animals in different exhibits separated by large distances. While we've only spoken of cats, there are quite a few other species that appear in two different places like the red pandas and rhinos. The same rhino keeper appears on TV at both Zoo Center and Asia Trail. Frankly, having a keeper like Theiss serve all of the cats enables them to be rotated among the different exhibits as necessary for breeding or enrichment. I have seen both Malayan and Amur tigers both in Tiger Mountain and in Asia Trail, and Kris Theiss is their senior keeper.
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While I know this was not @AmbikaFan's point, I think it should be clarified just in case that the above is not confirmation or suggestion that Kris Theiss was the keeper than gave the cats COVID-19.

~Thylo
 
ThylacineAlive said:
While I know this was not @AmbikaFan's point, I think it should be clarified just in case that the above is not confirmation or suggestion that Kris Theiss was the keeper than gave the cats COVID-19.

~Thylo
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Totally. She's simply an example of someone seen on TV who worked in various locations with the cats--to address an argument upthread. There are undoubtedly quite a few others who could too, including curators. Thanks, Thylo.
 
John Marchwick said:
4 more tigers and 3 lions tested positive at the Bronx zoo making the total to 8 in addition to Nadia who tested positive weeks earlier

https://www.google.com/amp/s/people.com/pets/4-more-tigers-3-lions-tested-positive-coronavirus-at-bronx-zoo/?amp=true
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Sounds like Ashley Boucher can't do her basic maths! As the quote she uses from the zoo, it's just the same three tigers and three Lions suspected to be infected from the beginning as well as Nadia. The total is 7 cats, as the zoo suspected it was when the results for Nadia's testing came back positive. The author has erroneously added four tigers on top of Nadia as opposed to the "three additional tigers and three Lions" she quoted the zoo announcing.

~Thylo
 
Two bits of news:

First, the Bronx Zoo worked with a lab to do testing via fecal sample which requires no anesthesia. I would hope this leads to more big cats being tested, but when an organization like the Elephant Sanctuary fires its founder over transparency about a positive TB test (and it doesn't even have public visitation), one has to wonder how transparent zoos--already facing dire financial straits due to curtailed visitation--will want to be about this.

Second, the first domestic cats to be diagnosed with COVID-19:

Two pet cats in New York test positive for coronavirus
 
ThylacineAlive said:
Sounds like Ashley Boucher can't do her basic maths! As the quote she uses from the zoo, it's just the same three tigers and three Lions suspected to be infected from the beginning as well as Nadia. The total is 7 cats, as the zoo suspected it was when the results for Nadia's testing came back positive. The author has erroneously added four tigers on top of Nadia as opposed to the "three additional tigers and three Lions" she quoted the zoo announcing.

~Thylo
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actually there’s another tiger that got to infected with the virus so the total is 5. Also my name is not Ashley Boucher.
 
AmbikaFan said:
Second, the first domestic cats to be diagnosed with COVID-19:

Two pet cats in New York test positive for coronavirus
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This is concerning on grounds of people dumping their animals over fears of getting COVID-19... Could potentially further the spread along with damaging native wildlife populations.

John Marchwick said:
actually there’s another tiger that got to infected with the virus so the total is 5. Also my name is not Ashley Boucher.
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Ashley Boucher is the person that wrote the article you linked.
 
Great Argus said:
This is concerning on grounds of people dumping their animals over fears of getting COVID-19... Could potentially further the spread along with damaging native wildlife populations.

Ashley Boucher is the person that wrote the article you linked.
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Interestingly, big shelters are reporting having adopted out nearly all animals, some with pics showing 12 people each in front of an empty cage. Even in this time of financial uncertainty, people have literally emptied shelters with their concern,a by adopting. Granted most are probably dogs, but there is still no evidence that felines can spread the virus themselves, each of those in the above reports contracting it themselves from humans afflicted with the virus. Testing of other species, especially primates, could rule out other possible animal-animal spreads, which would be a valuable thing to know in attempting to stop this pandemic..
 
ThylacineAlive said:
Sounds like Ashley Boucher can't do her basic maths! As the quote she uses from the zoo, it's just the same three tigers and three Lions suspected to be infected from the beginning as well as Nadia. The total is 7 cats, as the zoo suspected it was when the results for Nadia's testing came back positive. The author has erroneously added four tigers on top of Nadia as opposed to the "three additional tigers and three Lions" she quoted the zoo announcing.
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No, it is eight (according to what is in that article). It is saying that there was the initial tiger which tested positive (Nadia), plus the three other tigers and three lions which all had symptoms (the dry cough), plus there was an additional tiger which tested positive but which had not being showing any symptoms.
 
John Marchwick said:
actually there’s another tiger that got to infected with the virus so the total is 5. Also my name is not Ashley Boucher.
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Chlidonias said:
No, it is eight (according to what is in that article). It is saying that there was the initial tiger which tested positive (Nadia), plus the three other tigers and three lions which all had symptoms (the dry cough), plus there was an additional tiger which tested positive but which had not being showing any symptoms.
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Oops! Looks like I missed that part, thanks for the correction.

~Thylo
 
John Marchwick said:
PETAS now claiming that the an Orangutan At a zoo in Germany may have died of the Coronavirus. I may get a lot of hate for saying this but for once I don’t think it may be a bad idea.
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You don't think what may be a bad idea? Orangutans dying from coronavirus?
 
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