WASHINGTON — Four lions at the Barcelona Zoo in Spain have tested positive for coronavirus, officials said on Tuesday.
Three 16-year-old females and a four-year-old male were tested after zookeepers noticed the animals were showing some symptoms of the disease, according to Reuters.
Two zoo staff members also tested positive for COVID-19 last month when the lions were diagnosed, officials said to El Pais.
Barcelona zoo said in a statement that it collaborated with experts at New York's Bronx Zoo, one of only two other places in the world to have confirmed cases of COVID-19 infections in large felines.
"The lions were given veterinary care for their mild clinical condition - similar to a very mild flu condition - through anti-inflammatory treatment and close monitoring, and the animals responded well," the zoo said in a statement.
The Barcelona zoo said none of the tigers have had contact with other animals at the zoo, which is currently open to visitors, Reuters reported.
The first documented case of zoo animals contracting coronavirus occurred in April when several lions and tigers at the Bronx Zoo tested positive for COVID-19. In October, three tigers at Zoo Knoxville in East Tennessee also tested positive for coronavirus, according to USDA's National Veterinary Services Laboratories. All the lions and tigers have recovered.
