Gorilla loses appetite, lions develop cough after catching COVID-19 at Prague Zoo

Richard, a western lowland gorilla, who was tested positive for COVID-19 on February 25, 2021, sits inside its enclosure at closed Prague Zoo amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Prague, Czech Republic, November 10, 2020. Picture taken November 10, 2020. REUTERS/David W Cerny

PRAGUE  – A gorilla and two lions have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Prague Zoo, which is closed amid lockdown restrictions in the country.

“Lions Jamvan and Suchi and male gorilla Richard tested positive today. Their symptoms have been mild so far. The lions have a cold and cough. Richard is tired and lost his appetite,” Director Miroslav Bobek said on his Facebook account.

The animals were mostly likely infected by staff and other animals will be tested, Bobek said. Prague Zoo was in touch with other zoos that have seen COVID-19 cases.

In January, a troop of gorillas at the San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park suffered from an outbreak of COVID-19 that sickened several of the group’s eight members.

The Czech Republic has faced a renewed surge in COVID-19 cases that has pushed its infection rate among the highest in the world on a per capita basis.

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