"Two Tiger Cubs Die of COVID-19 in Pakistan... Likely Transmitted from Staff"

Tiger lung severely damaged... No COVID-19 testing conducted

A baby white tiger photographed at a zoo in Nicaragua on January 5 of this year. Photo by Yonhap News

[Asia Economy Reporter Han-ah Na] It has been claimed that two rare white tiger cubs died of COVID-19 at a zoo in Pakistan.

According to foreign media including College Times on the 13th (local time), two 11-week-old white tiger cubs at Lahore Zoo in Pakistan died on the 30th of last month, four days after beginning treatment for the feline panleukopenia virus.

The white tiger cubs died four days after starting treatment for the feline panleukopenia virus.

Initially, the zoo believed the two tigers had died from 'feline leukopenia,' which is commonly found in Pakistan.

However, the autopsy revealed that the tigers' lungs were severely damaged due to infection.

Accordingly, pathologists and the animal hospital concluded that the two cubs died after being infected with COVID-19. No COVID-19 tests were conducted on the deceased tigers.

Kiran Saleem, deputy director of Lahore Zoo, said, "After the tigers died, all zoo staff were tested for COVID-19, and six tested positive. Among them was an employee who regularly handled the tiger cubs."

The deputy director added, "It appears the tigers were infected during the process of being cared for and fed by that employee."

Meanwhile, Pakistan's zoos have long faced criticism from animal protection groups due to poor breeding conditions. Animal rights activists claim this incident is also due to the zoo's negligence, stating, "It happened because of the zoo's neglect and poor management."

Jupishan Anushai, founder of the animal protection organization JFK, expressed concern, saying, "Very rare white tigers require special living environments to live healthily. However, if they are confined in unsanitary conditions without proper care, we will continue to see such incidents."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.