Three snow leopards have died of COVID-19 complications at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Nebraska, officials mentioned. It follows the death of another snow leopard at a South Dakota zoo in October.
“It is with deep sadness that we inform our community that three snow leopards at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo have passed away due to complications of COVID-19,” the zoo mentioned in a statement. “This loss is truly heartbreaking, and we are all grieving together.”
The zoo had declared on October 13 that three snow leopards and two Sumatran tigers had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19 in humans, after showing signs of the illness. The tigers, however, are believed to have made a full recovery following that.
Last month, a snow leopard at the Great Plains Zoo in South Dakota also died of coronavirus. Having lost three snow leopards is indeed a huge loss.
Snow leaopards, who are listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is estimated to number fewer than 10,000 mature individuals and is expected to decline about 10% by the year 2040.
SARS-CoV-2 infections have been reported in a number of animal species worldwide, though deaths are rare in large animals. Species affected by coronavirus include cats, dogs, mink, otters, ferrets, lions, tigers, pumas, snow leopards, gorillas, and white-tailed deer.