Two hippopotamuses in Belgium recently tested positive for COVID-19, which, according to veterinarians, it remains unclear how they contracted the virus.
The Washington Post reported, vets noticed that according to Antwerp zoo, the animals were expelling snot, so they have been in quarantine after they tested positive for the virus.
The hippos, Imani and Hermien, got the virus, although they seem to be doing and not experiencing symptoms aside from their sticky, runny noses.
According to Francis Vercammen, the Zoo's veterinarian, to his knowledge, this is the first time in this particular species.
Meanwhile, according to a Reuters report, globally, this virus has been reported mainly in feline and great apes.
Safety Protocols at the Antwerp Zoo
While these animals tend to have wet noses, veterinarians still opted to test the two hippos after they detected the said hippos were producing thick mucus.
The zoo reported that the staff, which included the handlers of the two hippos, had not exhibited any symptoms. They also tested negative for COVID-19.
The Antwerp Zoo, home to over 5,000 animals, is presently operating with a range of measures in place to help stop coronavirus from spreading. To date, the disease has claimed at least 27,000 lives in Belgium.
Visitors at the zoo are required to wear a face covering, follow social distancing protocols, and at present, all animal feeding activities have been canceled until further notice, the official website of the zoo announced.
Furthermore, a BBC News report said that staff looking after the COVID-19-inflicted hippos in Belgium must wear "masks, safety glasses and disinfect their footwear" before having any physical contact with the ill animals.
COVID-19 in Animals
From dogs to tigers, leopards to deer, positive COVID-19 cases among animals have been documented during this global health crisis, raising curiosity on how the virus is transmitted between humans and animals.
A month ago, three "beloved snow leopards" at Nebraska zoo died due to COVID-19 complications, a month from testing positive for the virus. Also, at the same zoo, a pair of Sumatran tigers were infected with COVID-19 too, but they could fully recover from the infection, according to the staff.
According to officials at the National Zoo in Washington, in September, a total of nine animals had tested positive for COVID-19.
They noted that some of the three tigers and six lions who got a positive result were so exhausted that they would not eat their meat.
Meanwhile, in October, in the United States, the Agriculture Department provided authorization for an "animal-specific" vaccine administered to seven orangutans and several other primates at the National Zoo. Other zoos have started vaccination animals as well, as protection against COVID-19.
COVID-19 Transmission Between Humans and Animals
COVID-19 is believed to have transferred from an animal to a human, and it is proven to have jumped from humans to animals.
Pets, which include cats, dogs, and ferrets, have turned infected after having contact with their handlers or owners, while in the zoo, COVID-19 cases have been reported in animals like otters, hyenas, cats, and primates. The infection has spread in mink farms, not to mention wild animals like deer.
Related information about the hippos with COVID-19 is shown on Outpost News's YouTube video below:
Check out more news and information on COVID-19 on Science Times.
