Chennai: Four lions from Chennai’s Arignar Anna Zoological Park tested positive for the Delta variant (B.1.617.2) of Covid-19, weeks after a 9-year-old lioness, Neela, and 12-year-old lion, Padmanabhan, died due to Covid-19. On May 24, the genome sequencing samples were obtained and the reports show that the lions are affected with the dreadful delta variant which wreaked havoc since the country was hit by the second wave of the pandemic.
An official release from the Arignar Anna Zoological Park read, ‘Genome sequencing of 4 samples was done at NIHSAD in Bhopal. Analysis of the samples shows that all the four sequences belong to Pangolin lineage B.1.617.2 and are delta variant as per WHO nomenclature.’
Taking to Twitter, Supriya Sahu, Principal Secretary, Environment & Forests, to the government of Tamil Nadu, said, ‘Tamil Nadu government has constituted a State Task Force for Covid-19 disease surveillance and monitoring, vaccination for wild and captive animals and keepers. We shall supervise all wildlife sanctuaries, tiger reserves national parks and zoos. I shall be heading the task force.’
An order issued by the senior Indian bureaucrat stated that the surveillance and monitoring of animals will begin immediately and the task force comprising of six members would do the review on regular basis to access the situation in the state.
In the meantime, lions in Hyderabad and Jaipur also tested positive for the same variant, before the lions in Chennai, but they recovered quickly from the infection.
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