Cleveland Metroparks Zoo announces 5 tigers test positive for COVID-19

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo has announced that five of its tigers have tested positive for COVID-19. 

In a release sent Wednesday, the zoo says the tigers were tested out of an abundance of caution after the animal care team noticed three of them were displaying mild symptoms including coughing and sneezing dating back to Sunday. 

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"Cleveland Metroparks Zoo does not know how the tigers contracted COVID-19, however, the three tigers that previously displayed visible symptoms have shown signs of improvement," the zoo wrote in its release.

While there has been no evidence of animal-to-human transmission of COVID-19 in zoos, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo says it will temporarily close Rosebrough Tiger Passage "out of an abundance of caution until the tigers fully recover."

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