Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Made A Visit To The Zoo To Asses The Situations Of Infected Asiatic Lions

The diseased Asiatic lions at Chennai's Arignar Anna Zoological Park (AAZP), also known as Vandalur Zoo, have been isolated and are being treated with antibiotics and other preventative medications. M K Stalin, who visited the zoo on Sunday to assess the situation, urged authorities from the Environment and Forest Department and the institution to offer the best treatment possible to the afflicted lions in accordance with protocol.

He also urged the authorities to guarantee that all animal handlers and officials at the zoo where COVID-19 was first discovered among the lions be properly vaccinated.

Stalin, who is also the Chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Zoo Authority, was driven through the enclosures in an environmentally friendly battery-powered car.

Debasis Jana, the Director of the Zoo, briefed the Chief Minister on the procedures in place on the ground to monitor all animals and adhere to all SOPs and treatment procedures as recommended by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) and Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University. Seven samples of three lions and four tigers were transferred to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) in Bareilly for detailed analysis, according to zoo officials. All of the lions' samples are being genetically sequenced at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad to determine the viral strain that infected them. The COVID-19 pandemic was first noticed in the zoo's Asiatic lions on June 3, when a 9-year-old lioness named Neela died of the disease.

According to a government press release, only a few lions were discovered to be symptomatic. Whereas the samples of 11 lions were transferred to the iCAR-NIHSAD lab in Bhopal for testing. Tiger and other large mammal samples were also sent in for testing.

The park's veterinarian staff, led by Sridhar, described to Stalin how the diseased lions were being treated and how the zoo's other animals' health was being monitored.

As the chief minister toured the lion and tiger enclosures and lion safari sites, officials described the steps taken to determine the sources of such diseases.

Meanwhile, with the help of veterinarians and experts from the Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, all of the Asiatic lions were isolated and put on an antibiotic and other preventative treatment regimen.