# Tiger in Bronx Zoo tests positive for Covid-19 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Quarantine Zone\ **Tags:** covid-quarantine\ **Created:** [April 6, 2020, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-in-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-covid-19/851197 "2020-04-06T16:10:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-in-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-covid-19/851197/1 "2020-04-06T16:10:32Z")
A Malayan tiger in New York’s Bronx Zoo has tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. The virus is believed to have originated in bats and jumped across species into humans. Now it appears to have jumped species into another mammal. The tiger appears to have gotten the virus from an infected, but asymptomatic zookeeper. [https://api.nationalgeographic.com/distribution/public/amp/animals/2020/04/tiger-coronavirus-covid19-positive-test-bronx-zoo](https://api.nationalgeographic.com/distribution/public/amp/animals/2020/04/tiger-coronavirus-covid19-positive-test-bronx-zoo) ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-in-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-covid-19/851197/2 "2020-04-06T16:39:08Z")
Is there a separate text for tigers? Or did they use a regular Covid19 test kit on a tiger? Isn’t there still a shortage of test kits, especially in NYC? Although my hat’s off to the guy who volunteered to stick a nasal swab inside a tiger’s face. ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-in-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-covid-19/851197/3 "2020-04-06T16:54:56Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Is there a separate text for tigers? Or did they use a regular Covid19 test kit on a tiger? Isn’t there still a shortage of test kits, especially in NYC? > > Although my hat’s off to the guy who volunteered to stick a nasal swab inside a tiger’s face. This was going to be my question as well - are they using test kits on zoo animals now?? Edit: never mind - the article states: _"The team took samples at the zoo, after sedating Nadia. They sent the samples for testing to the New York State Diagnostic Laboratory at Cornell University and to the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. It is not the same type of test that health care providers give to people, says Calle, “so there is no competition for testing between these very different situations.”_ ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-in-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-covid-19/851197/4 "2020-04-06T16:58:37Z")
According to the article, > [@](#): > > It is not the same type of test that health care providers give to people, says Calle, “so there is no competition for testing between these very different situations.” ---
**Author:** ![Dahnlor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dahnlor/32/533_2.png) [@Dahnlor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dahnlor)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-in-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-covid-19/851197/5 "2020-04-06T17:00:54Z")
Just a wild guess on my part, but I seem to remember that early on a lot of tests were made that turned out to be too unreliable. However, taking such tests multiple times might still be good enough for a diagnosis. Perhaps that’s what’s happening here, using tests that aren’t going to be used on people? EDIT: According to the posts that ninja’d mine, apparently reading the article could have revealed this as well. ---
**Author:** ![Babale](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/babale/32/15666_2.png) [@Babale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Babale)\ **Post date:** [April 6, 2020, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-in-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-covid-19/851197/6 "2020-04-06T21:52:30Z")
Even if the tests were meant for humans, keep in mind that the tigers had symptoms. That’s HUGE. That’s not like testing the dog to see if he could transfer the virus by licking your sick family member and then you. That’s evidence that the virus isn’t just on the animal, but actually infecting the animal and replicating in its cells. If that’s true, it could be evidence of another species jump, and either tell us about the properties of this virus that can affect both humans and tigers, or be evidence that the virus can mutate and jump species again. Either way, this has huge implications on the virus and how we can fight it. Certainly worth a couple of test kits, even in a shortage. It’s not like a test kit directly saves lives like a respirator would – we don’t have any COVID specific treatments yet, outside some medical trials. So the benefit of testing is to the population, not the individual, and at that point weighing the value of a few extra positive or negative cases in humans against all the knowledge we could gain by studying this lead – definitely worth the kits. But as was said, it’s a moot point in this case because the test kits were different. ---
**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2020, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-in-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-covid-19/851197/7 "2020-04-07T17:57:46Z")
I read other big cats also have the virus? It’s not confirmed, because they have to anesthetize the animal to get the sample, and they said it wasn’t worth the risk to the animal. But the other big cats show similar symptoms. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2020, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-in-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-covid-19/851197/8 "2020-04-08T01:14:54Z")
Fortunately, I’ve always lived by a rule about maintaining at least a six foot distance from a tiger. ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2020, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-in-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-covid-19/851197/9 "2020-04-08T01:38:01Z")
Raped by Harvey Weinstein ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2020, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-in-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-covid-19/851197/10 "2020-04-08T01:55:55Z")
> [@SuntanLotion](#): > > Raped by Harvey Weinstein **Moderator Warning** This is wildly inappropriate for this thread or for this forum. This is an official warning for being a jerk. Don’t do this again. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![RioRico](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f04885/32.png) [@RioRico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RioRico)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2020, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-in-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-covid-19/851197/11 "2020-04-08T02:14:26Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > Fortunately, I’ve always lived by a rule about maintaining at least a six foot distance from a tiger. Four feet away from Tiger Woods should be enough. 😃 I wonder about other species jumps that likely won’t be tested for. I was in a Guatemalan village when a traveling circus moved in, tethering some animals in a field. I was about 50 feet from a llama, innocently staring at the beast, when it spit right in my face. If that llama had been infected, I’d be a goner now. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2020, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-in-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-covid-19/851197/12 "2020-04-08T04:51:29Z")
> [@RioRico](#): > > Four feet away from Tiger Woods should be enough. 😃 Not far enough. The PGA allows clubs up to 48" long. Add 36" for his arm. Better make it 10 feet just to be sure. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fiveroptic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiveroptic/32/8257_2.png) [@Fiveroptic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveroptic)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2020, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tiger-in-bronx-zoo-tests-positive-for-covid-19/851197/13 "2020-04-08T14:16:12Z")
> [@Babale](#): > > Even if the tests were meant for humans, keep in mind that the tigers had symptoms. That’s HUGE. That’s not like testing the dog to see if he could transfer the virus by licking your sick family member and then you. That’s evidence that the virus isn’t just on the animal, but actually infecting the animal and replicating in its cells. If that’s true, it could be evidence of another species jump, and either tell us about the properties of this virus that can affect both humans and tigers, or be evidence that the virus can mutate and jump species again. Either way, this has huge implications on the virus and how we can fight it. > > Certainly worth a couple of test kits, even in a shortage. It’s not like a test kit directly saves lives like a respirator would – we don’t have any COVID specific treatments yet, outside some medical trials. So the benefit of testing is to the population, not the individual, and at that point weighing the value of a few extra positive or negative cases in humans against all the knowledge we could gain by studying this lead – definitely worth the kits. > > But as was said, it’s a moot point in this case because the test kits were different. Yup. It’s a little bit more terrifying knowing common critters can contract the virus, possibly transmitting it as well. I’d happily give up as many tests as necessary to find out which critters need our immediate research to quell the spread.