Pakistan zoo rejects neglect claims after two white tiger cubs die of suspected Covid-19

The cubs died in the Lahore Zoo on January 30. They probably caught the virus from the person handling and feeding them

Pakistan’s zoos regularly draw the ire of activists, who say hundreds of animals have died from poor living conditions there

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An autopsy found the cubs’ lungs were badly damaged and they were suffering from severe infection. File photo: DPA

Published: 6:22pm, 13 Feb 2021Updated: 6:22pm, 13 Feb 2021

Two 11-week-old white tiger cubs that died in a Pakistani zoo last month appear to have succumbed to Covid-19, officials said.

The cubs died in the Lahore Zoo on January 30, four days after beginning treatment for what officials thought was feline panleukopenia virus, a disease that zoo officials said is common in Pakistan and targets cats’ immune system.

But an autopsy found the cubs’ lungs were badly damaged and they were suffering from severe infection, with pathologists concluding they died from Covid-19.

Although no PCR test for the new coronavirus was conducted, zoo deputy director Kiran Saleem said the zoo believes the cubs were the victims of the pandemic that has killed 12,256 people in Pakistan.

“After their death, the zoo administration conducted tests of all officials, and six were tested positive, including one official who handled the cubs,” Saleem said. “It strengthens the findings of the autopsy. The cubs probably caught the virus from the person handling and feeding them.”

Pakistan’s zoos regularly draw the ire of animal rights activists, who say hundreds of animals have died from poor living conditions there.