Chennai: As many as 28 elephants have tested for Covid 19 in Mudumalai Tiger Reserve at Tamil Nadu. The samples were collected on Tuesday and were sent to Indian Veterinary Research Institute in Uttar Pradesh.
Reportedly, the test was conducted on all elephants, ranging from the ages of 2 to 60 as precautionary measure after nine lions tested positive for Covid-19, and one lioness succumbed to the virus in the Arignar Anna Zoological Park or Vandalur zoo outside Chennai on June 3.
The State Forest Minister Thiru K. Ramachandran ordered for tests to be conducted on all the elephants of the reserve to ensure proper safety of the animals, and to stop the virus from spreading further within wild animals.
Earlier, two lionesses at Etawah Safari Park in Uttar Pradesh and eight Asiatic lions, including four males and four females, at the Nehru Zoological Park (NZP) in Hyderabad had tested positive for Covid-19.
Kalinga AI