New York, April 10, 2020 – The following update was issued by the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo:

We are pleased to report that since the USDA and Bronx Zoo made the announcement on Sunday that one of our female Malayan tigers tested positive for COVID-19, her condition continues to improve, along with the other three tigers and three African lions that exhibited similar symptoms. Nadia and the other cats are behaving normally, eating well, and their coughing is greatly reduced. We anticipate continued improvement in the coming days. We know the cats came into contact with one or more asymptomatic staff members.

Nadia was the first animal to exhibit symptoms, and the samples collected to assess her condition during a physical exam were processed at a veterinary laboratory. Other than these seven cats, no other animals at the Bronx have developed symptoms. We conducted the test out of an abundance of caution, and the information we learn from this case will be shared with the zoo, wildlife conservation and human health communities.

We have been contacted by zoos from across the country and around the world who are thankful that we reported on Nadia’s condition, and they are adjusting their operating protocols with felids during this pandemic as we have.

We have appreciated all the interest regarding Nadia, our other big cats, and thank everyone for their concern.

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