3 vaccinated tigers have COVID-19 at the San Diego Zoo

San Diego Zoo officials announced Wednesday that three of their Malayan tigers have COVID-19, marking the first wildlife cases the organization has reported since vaccinating hundreds of animals this summer.

Nose and throat swabs from Connor, a 10-year-old male tiger, tested positive for the virus on Friday in the zoo’s lab. That result was confirmed by a state lab on Tuesday. Fecal samples from 7-year-old brothers Berani and Cinta also tested positive for the virus. All three cats have mild symptoms, including a reduced appetite, moving around a bit less than usual and a slight cough.

The tigers had been fully vaccinated as part of a push to protect 250 animals that zoo and Safari Park staff believed were at risk of COVID-19, from cheetahs to baboons to hyenas and an array of other species.

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For subscribers: San Diego Zoo races to vaccinate lions, tigers and other vulnerable species as COVID surges

5 tigers now have the coronavirus. Zoo and Safari Park staff are vaccinating roughly 250 animals.

Aug. 3, 2021

No vaccine offers perfect protection against infection, however, though there’s ample evidence coronavirus vaccines make breakthrough infections milder and less likely to result in hospitalization and severe disease.

The zoo is hopeful that trend will hold true for wildlife, too. None of the tigers need treatment for their symptoms, and Cinta and Berani are being quarantined in the park’s Tiger River habitat. Connor, who shares the habitat on rotation with the other cats, is quarantining at the zoo’s veterinary hospital, according to a spokesperson.

Tiger River will remain open to visitors, as the habitat is outdoors and there’s no point where guests are less than 6 feet away from the enclosure.

In August, five Sumatran tigers tested positive for COVID-19 at the Safari Park; all five have fully recovered, according to a spokesperson. Snow leopards at the zoo and gorillas at the Safari Park have also gotten infected and recovered. In the case of the gorillas, the park confirmed that a keeper with an asymptomatic infection was the most likely source of the virus. That may be the case here, too, though the zoo has not identified a staff member presumed to have infected the cats.