Story By: Arian Movileanu, Sub-Editor: James King, Agency: Newsflash
A pangolin has tested positive for COVID-19 after being seized from an Indian man infected with the novel coronavirus.
The incident took place in the town of Bangriposi in the district of Mayurbhanj in the eastern Indian state of Odisha.
Animal Rescue secretary Vanoomitra Acharya said the pangolin, sometimes known as scaly anteaters and considered one of the most trafficked animals in the world, was seized from a man who tested positive for COVID-19.
After being confiscated, Acharya said the pangolin would undergo a PCR test to determine whether it could be released into the wild or remain in isolation first.
Acharya said: “We recovered a pangolin from Bangriposi area. The accused, who was in possession of it, was COVID-19 positive. Today, the pangolin was tested. If found to be positive, it’ll be kept in isolation. Otherwise, it’ll be released into the forest.”
According to The Times of India, the pangolin tested positive for the novel coronavirus on a PCR test and will now remain in quarantine before its release.
In a similar incident in May last year, a pangolin that sneaked into an isolation facility in the district of Cuttack also tested positive via a swab sample.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, eight Asiatic lions at the Nehru Zoological Park in the Indian city of Hyderabad all tested positive for COVID-19.
Zookeepers decided to carry out tests on the big cats after vets noticed them displaying mild symptoms such as nasal discharge and a dry cough.
It is believed the coronavirus-suffering lions caught the illness from zookeepers.
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