GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — The staff at John Ball Zoo are taking extra precautions after a tiger at another zoo tested positive for COVID-19.
The Bronx Zoo in New York announced Sunday that a 4-year-old tiger tested positive for the new strain of coronavirus. It’s the first known animal case of COVID-19 in the U.S.
The World Health Organization previously stated there is no evidence of the disease in animals.
John Ball Zoo says the positive test has raised yet another concern for them during this pandemic.
“This is absolutely an unprecedented time for all of us at the zoo, for our entire community, for our entire world. Our generation has certainly never seen anything quite like this,” said Mike Lomonaco with the zoo.
Lomonaco says John Ball Zoo made several changes over the last few weeks, including shutting down certain areas of the park to the public and only allowing essential staff on the zoo’s campus. He says they’ve also started staggering hours so staff can social distance.
The Grand Rapids zoo was set to open on April 3 until Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued executive orders aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19. Now John Ball Zoo is closed until further notice.
More at WOOD-TV.