After tiger’s death at Ranchi zoo, 12 big cats in the clear after negative Covid tests

The felines' samples were sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute at Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh amid reports of several big cats in captivity testing positive for the infection across the country.

The samples of seven Royal Bengal tigers and five other big cats at the Bhagwan Birsa Biological Park in Ranchi have tested negative for Covid-19, a senior zoo official said on Saturday. The samples of tiger Shiva, which had died on June 3 following prolonged illness, were among those that tested negative. The felines' samples were sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute at Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh amid reports of several big cats in captivity testing positive for the infection across the country.