Following the confirmed transmission of Covid-19 from a zookeeper to a tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York, the Sedgwick County Zoo is taking extra precautions.
The New York case is the first known human to animal transmission of the virus, which began in animals before transmitting to a human in China. The zookeeper was not displaying any symptoms.
The zoo says out of an abundance of caution, they had already implemented additional protective measures keepers caring for great apes, due to their close genetic similarity to humans, though there are no indications of the virus transmitting to apes.
They are now extending those extra precautions to big cats at the zoo. They include limiting the number of people in behind the scenes areas, wearing gloves and masks when in animal areas, good hygiene practices, and social distancing.
