With the world coming to terms with the rising number of infections and deaths owing to the Coronavirus outbreak day by day, here’s a piece of news that’ll put a smile on your face. Jim Corbett, India’s oldest national park, has built an isolation ward–only for animals!
Jim Corbett’s Quarantine Facility For Animals
The news came a few days after a Malaysian tiger was tested positive for Coronavirus at NYC’s Bronx Zoo, which definitely caught the attention of Indian authorities.
R.K. Tiwari, Warden of Jim Corbett National Park, revealed that currently, at least 10 quarantine centres are being prepared within the premises to contain all the animals. Not just that, the authorities are also working on converting the cages built for wild animals into quarantine facilities. He also mentioned that they are keeping a closer eye on all the animals and have intensified their video surveillance. Any animal who shows any COVID-19 symptoms will be quarantined immediately and the cameras will record the cold or cough symptoms of all the animals.
Jim Corbett’s Wildlife Medical Officer, Dr Dushyant has however said that the risk is less to animals, especially tigers considering they all reside around the forest area. But yes, if the animals that live closer to the human population come in contact with an infected living being, then there’s a high risk of them getting infected.
Other preventive measures are undertaken by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) include issuing a direction that all the workers coming in contact with tigers, even the elephants, should be tested for Coronavirus. NTCA has also ordered the Jim Corbett park to notify them immediately if any animal shows any signs of illness.
Meanwhile, the mysterious death of fifteen monkeys in Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district has left everyone in a panic state. While the autopsy reports of the primates are awaited from the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI), officials believe that the monkeys may have consumed some kind of poisonous substance like contaminated water from agricultural waste, but a few people fear that it might be due to coronavirus.
We hope more wildlife parks around the globe follow suit as animals are also at risk of contracting the deadly virus. And if one tiger has been tested positive for Coronavirus, it’s only a matter of time more animals show COVID-19 symptoms.
Featured Image: www.corbettnationalpark.in