A tiger in New York has contracted coronavirus - here’s what you need to know

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A tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York, has become the first known animal in America (and first tiger anywhere in the world) to test positive for coronavirus, according to federal officials.

It is believed that six other tigers and lions have also fallen ill after developing a dry cough, since the first infected animal, Nadia - a four year old female Malayan tiger - began showing the same symptoms at the end of last month (27 Mar).

Nadia's test results were confirmed by The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) at its National Veterinary Services Laboratories.

How did the big cats get infected?

While the Bronx Zoo has been closed to the public since 16 March amid the surging coronavirus outbreak in New York, the zoo believes the animals were infected by an employee, who may have had an undetected case of the virus.

Speaking about the findings, the zoo's chief veterinarian, Dr Paul Calle, said, "We tested the cat out of an abundance of caution and will ensure any knowledge we gain about COVID-19 will contribute to the world's continuing understanding of this novel coronavirus.”

According to the zoo, all of the animals are coping well with the infection and are expected to recover.