Ahmedabad: As the third wave of Covid sweeps the country’s pandemic, nothing is safe – not even the king of the forest.
With a new Coronavirus claiming the life of two lions at the Chennai Zoo, the center has decided to provide a vaccine developed by the ICAR-National Equines Research Center (NRCE) in Hisar, Haryana, a shot.
And, Sakkarbaug in Junagadh is one of the six zoos in the country of clinical trials will be carried out on lions and leopards to test their efficacy in keeping safe animals.
Sakcharbaug zoo, which is a nodal facility for lion nurseries in this country, more than 70 lions and leopards 50.
The trial, however, will be only on 15 animals.
Specially designed for animals, vaccines will be given in two doses with a distance of 28 days between the two.
Animals will be observed for antibodies for almost two months after the second dose is given.
Confirming the news, Abhishek Kumar, Deputy Forest Conservator, who is also the director of the Sakcharbaug Zoo, said: “We accept communication from the Ministry of Environmental, Forest and Climate (MoEFCC) that the zoo will be the center of clinical trials on lions and leopards.
The trial will begin after the ministry provides final approval.
” The trial at the zoo with more than 15 animals from the same speciesofficials said the ministry was directed by Icar-Nrce, Hisar, to develop a vaccine for large cats at the zoo.
The direction was given after 15 lions at the Vandalur Zoo in Chennai was positively tested for the Coronavirus in June 2021, with two of them succumbing to it.
After developing vaccines, the upperar facility applied to the MOEFCC for the clinical trial of the SARS-COV-2 vaccine was not actively developed for lions, tigers, and leopards.
“While giving permission, the service is determined that only those zoos with more than 15 animals from one species in captivity will be allowed to conduct trials,” officials said.
Five other zoos chosen for trials were in Delhi, Bengaluru, Nagpur, Bhopal, and Jaipur.
Meanwhile, the Sakkarbaug Zoo still has not received the protocol to manage experimental vaccines.
“It is clear that the vaccine will be given to animals in captivity.
Being under the situation will be given to big cats in the wild.
However, if there are wild cats captured showing Covid symptoms, vaccines can be given after being approved, “the official said.
The possibility of the newly infected animal Coronavirus first came to light when women’s aged Fouryear, Nadia, and six other people were positive at the Bronx Zoo in New York City in April 2020.
Animals were infected after getting asymptomatic zookeper.
The first incident confirmed by Covid’s contracted animals in India was when eight Asiatic Lions at Nehru Zoological Park in Hyderabad was positive.
Zoo officers raised alarms when they saw the lion package wheezing with dry cough, nasal discharge, and losing appetite.