3 snow leopards with COVID-19 die at Lincoln, Neb. Children's Zoo

[Eugene]

Source: Associated Press

3 snow leopards with COVID-19 die at Lincoln Children’s Zoo

November 13, 2021

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Three snow leopards have died at the Lincoln Children’s Zoo in Nebraska of complications from COVID-19.

The zoo made the announcement in a Facebook post Friday, describing the deaths of the three leopards — named Ranney, Everest, and Makalu— as “truly heartbreaking.”

The zoo began treating the leopards and two Sumatran tigers for the virus last month. The zoo said the tigers, Axl and Kumar, have made a recovery.

The zoo said it remains open to the public and continues to take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 to humans and animals.

Zoos across the country, including at the St. Louis Zoo and the Denver Zoo, have battled COVID-19 outbreaks among their animals.

https://apnews.com/article/coronavirus-pandemic-lifestyle-lincoln-tigers-animals-c55c7c432e0a80caa5fea3c8a4f5d1c7

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. How sad.

These exquisite, beautiful and endangered animals need to live!

And I'm sure the zoo officials are doing everything in their power to keep them well.

[MustLoveBeagles]

2. That's too bad

[tblue37]

3. I wonder whether they're working on covid vaccines for various animals.

[Liberty Belle]

13. Yes, I saw a story yesterday about a zoo giving COVID vaccines to great apes.

[SunSeeker]

16. Some zoos have been vaccinating big cats. This zoo didn't.

Comments on the zoo's Facebook page criticize the zoo for not mandating vaccination for its zoo workers. And one comment questioned why the snow leopards had not been vaccinated, and posted this AP story about the San Francisco Zoo vaccinating its big cats in July of year. https://apnews.com/article/oakland-bears-lifestyle-business-philanthropy-5c763425f48ca5047fa94bb4b7e44431?fbclid=IwAR209djo64AufPQquC2Yq6RkqwC2AP0ZLbeJQUxnvWhU2DdrEXzvfLwfRb4

But this zoo is in Nebraska. So no vaccines were required for their workers, let alone their animals.

The horrible deaths of these three critically endangered snow leopards was entirely preventable.

[hlthe2b]

20. Most major zoos ARE vaccinating the most vulnerable. Zoetis created the first vaccine & there are

others in the pipeline. In Colorado, the most endangered mammal in the country, the black-footed ferret (closely related to the white minks that are so vulnerable to COVID-19 and had to be exterminated in Denmark 17 MILLION), are beginning to be vaccinated in two natural habitats, where they live adjacent to large prairie dog colonies upon which they depend.

It is a shame that smaller zoos have not been vaccinating or are slow to do so as Zoetis has been working to try to make sure they are available for the big cats and great apes at a minimum.

This is a damned shame.

[MFM008]

4. wouldnt the vaccine help?

one of the other treatments?
anything?
It didnt say.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

5. Sekhmet take these magnificent

Snow leopards in your arms and take them
To your eternal sacred temple. Love them comfort them forever.

[pazzyanne]

15. Amen! nt

[montanacowboy]

6. How Terrible

doesn't the vaccine work on animals?

[GP6971]

8. Back again?

enjoy your stay.

[ShazzieB]

12. I didn't see that post, but I'll bet anything I know it was!

There's a person who keeps signing up with different screen names and posting crazy antivax stuff in covid threads. They get banned, sign up again, post, and get banned. Over and over again, rinse and repeat.

[canetoad]

17. She's not a well person

In body or mind.

How are ya Shazzie

[Demovictory9]

9. Awww 😔

[Duppers]

10. Tears for them.

They are so rare & beautiful.

Zoos must do more to protect them.

[TreasonousBastard]

11. At the Bronx Zoo, snow leopards were one of the most popular..

exhibits.

They spent their ghostly days silently ruling their preserve

[SunSeeker]

14. That's horrible. All zoo workers must be vaccinated and wear masks and gloves!

Last edited Sun Nov 14, 2021, 04:22 AM - Edit history (2)

These snow leopards obviously caught it from humans, and the humans who get closest to them are the zoo workers. I'd like to know what "precautions" this zoo claims to be taking to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Comments on the zoo's Facebook page criticize the zoo for not mandating vaccination for its zoo workers. And one comment questioned why the snow leopards had not been vaccinated, and posted this AP story about the San Francisco Zoo vaccinating its big cats in July of this year. https://apnews.com/article/oakland-bears-lifestyle-business-philanthropy-5c763425f48ca5047fa94bb4b7e44431?fbclid=IwAR209djo64AufPQquC2Yq6RkqwC2AP0ZLbeJQUxnvWhU2DdrEXzvfLwfRb4

But this zoo is in Nebraska. So no vaccines were required for their workers, let alone their animals.

The horrible deaths of these three critically endangered snow leopards was entirely preventable.

[sinkingfeeling]

21. I must be an awful person as this saddens me more than

reading about unvaxxers dying of Covid.

[XanaDUer2]

24. Me too nt

[NickB79]

22. There are only 5000 left in the wild

That sucks

[Jim G.]

23. 8 big cats at the St. Louis Zoo tested positive for COVID

https://www.stltoday.com/news/state-and-regional/missouri/8-big-cats-at-st-louis-zoo-test-positive-for-covid/article_22f80c9b-00cf-5d6a-8ab4-4d28a1107815.html

My niece is in town for the weekend & we heard that Friday when we had reservations to the zoo. We still went, but it was a little cold so we ended up leaving pretty quickly & we went to the History Museum & a long lunch instead.

[haele]

25. Upper respiratory infections can be deadly for felines.

They won't eat food they can't smell or doesn't "smell right"- an evolutionary trait to ensure they won't eat tainted food.
COVID-19 and variants are particularly dangerous as these diseases affect senses of taste and smell, not to mention tie mental fog that goes along with high fevers.

If not caught early enough, within three days without food, the cat's internal organs will start to shut down.

Haele