Singapore wildlife parks monitor animals for Covid-19

Elephant keepers at the Singapore Zoo, which Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) operates, renewing bonds with the elephants under their care in one of their daily positive reinforcement training sessions. About 120 WRS staff are rostered daily to look
Elephant keepers at the Singapore Zoo, which Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) operates, renewing bonds with the elephants under their care in one of their daily positive reinforcement training sessions. About 120 WRS staff are rostered daily to look after 15,000 animals in the country's four wildlife parks. PHOTO: WILDLIFE RESERVES SINGAPORE

Wildlife parks, including the Singapore Zoo, are monitoring their captive animals for coronavirus infections after a tiger last month tested positive for the virus at New York City's Bronx Zoo.

Animal caregivers at the Republic's four wildlife parks, which include the Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari and River Safari, are closely observing the animals for signs of irregular behaviour and illness, said Dr Cheng Wen-Haur, deputy chief executive of Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS).

"During this time, clinical signs such as dry cough, lack of appetite and other respiratory concerns, that may be indicative of Covid-19, would be swiftly reported to trigger further examinations by the veterinary team," he added.

WRS manages Singapore's wildlife parks. About 120 staff, including those from the animal care and veterinary teams, are rostered daily to look after 15,000 animals across the four parks.

At the Bronx Zoo, officials later found several other big cats with symptoms, and reports emerged of infections in pets in Hong Kong, Belgium and other parts of the United States, as well as minks at two farms in the Netherlands.

Dr Cheng, who is also the chief life sciences officer of WRS, said the risk of humans contracting the virus from animals is very low.

The World Health Organisation has also maintained that although experiments show that cats and ferrets are able to transmit the virus to other animals of the same species, there is no evidence that such animals can transmit the virus to humans and play a role in its spread.

The World Organisation for Animal Health, an international organisation that counts Taiwan and 181 countries as its members, has also said there is no evidence that pets play a significant role in spreading Covid-19.

The organisation's view has been cited locally by the Animal and Veterinary Service, which comes under the National Parks Board.

Meanwhile, staff at Singapore's wildlife parks have adopted additional protocols to prevent the cross-transmission of diseases between them and animals under their care.

These include donning face masks and gloves when working with animals, and the washing of hands with soap and water after any animal interaction, said Dr Cheng.

Staff are also minimising or avoiding direct contact with the animals whenever possible, especially primates and carnivores, which are at a higher risk of being infected.

"Great apes are of specific concern as they typically succumb to the same diseases as humans. To a certain extent, this is true for other primates as well," Dr Cheng said.

He added that the carnivores have also proven to be susceptible.

The protocols complement those that were already in place before the Covid-19 outbreak, such as routine disease screening and vaccination of animals, as well as safe work practices by staff.

"For example, if one of our animal care staff is unwell and showing symptoms of a cold or fever, they will not come to work, for both their safety and our animals'," said Dr Cheng.

He said WRS remains committed to ensuring the upkeep of the wildlife parks and the welfare of the animals, and is grateful for the continuous support from its visitors over the years, he said.

"Without their support, we would not have been able to provide world-class care for our animals and protect threatened wildlife in the wild," he added.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 04, 2020, with the headline Singapore wildlife parks monitor animals for Covid-19. Subscribe