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Hakuna Matata: Zoo’s Covid-infected Lion king on path to recovery
‘Thor’ the Dehiwela Zoo lion who tested positive for COVID-19 is responding well to treatment, a senior zoo official said.
He said that the lion, named after the American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character, had eaten well and passed stools without a problem on Friday.
He said in a move to prevent the virus from spreading to other animals, caretakers and curators would be working according to a roster.
Zoo Director Ishini Wickremesinghe on Friday confirmed that Thor was COVID-19 positive and that they were in frequent discussions with India’s Central Zoo Authority to obtain advice.
The lion handlers are now in quarantine, a source said, adding that new caretakers were in charge of the four lions. They have been given lodgings close to the lion enclosure and they will not be able to step out of that zone.
Eleven-year-old Thor is an elderly lion who was brought from the Seoul Zoo in 2013. The lion had fathered many cubs in the Dehiwela zoo and was in an enclosure with its mate and another male and female lions also fathered by him.
Thor had shown signs of breathing difficulties and had stopped eating and the caretakers and zoo veterinary staff had thought this could be due to his age, but had decided to test him for COVID-19.
“We were unable to sedate the lion, as it had respiratory difficulties. Nor was the staff able to reach the lion. Therefore ‘Thor’ was first separated from the other three lions by coaxing it into a separate den in the same enclosure. Then the lion was taken into a crusher cage and both antigen and PCR tests were carried out causing less stress to lion and staff,” a zoo employee said.
However another source said the lion had become agitated and had tried to swipe at the zoo staff during the procedure.
This was the first time COVID-19 tests had been done on a wild animal in a Sri Lankan zoo. Several samples were taken and sent to various institutes. Among those who received the samples was the Peradeniya University veterinary division.
Meanwhile on Friday itself PCR tests were done on zoo staff handling other zones. The process continued yesterday.
During these tests, a caretaker tested positive and has been sent for quarantine. Zoo sources said they believed he had contracted the disease from outside as he had not reported to work for sometime.