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‘Your cats are safe’: Maneka Gandhi assures after tiger tests Covid-19 positive
India has sounded an alert to monitor animals at the zoos and other wildlife reserves to guard against human to animal transmissions of Sars-CoV-2
BJP MP Maneka Gandhi on Tuesday posted a video message saying a cat could not get or give coronavirus and there was no need for people to abandon them after it emerged that a tiger in a zoo in the United States was infected with Covid-19.
Gandhi, a prominent animal rights activist said, “A cat is not a tiger, there is no relationship, there is as much relationship a dog has with a wolf.”
Maneka’s video appeal follows the revelation that a tiger in the Bronx zoo in the US had tested positive for coronavirus sparking fears around the globe that the disease could spread to the animal kingdom. Indian authorities have sounded alerts for all tiger habitats in India and have advised continuous monitoring of the animals for any abnormal behaviour and isolation for sick animals among other measures to prevent possible human to animal transmissions.
Gandhi seemed to be responding to speculations on social media that domestic animals like cat, if they pick up the Covid-19 infection, could also further spread the contagion among unsuspecting humans.
“Your cats are completely safe to be around, so allow people to feed them, allow them in every colony, they are a great asset,” Maneka Gandhi appealed in the video.
Gandhi’s post seemed to have started a debate with some questioning the basis of her claim and cited a study that has not been peer-reviewed to suggest that anti Sars-Cov-2 antibodies were detected in cats.
Gandhi responded to the challenge by saying that a “scientific approach” was needed at the hour and not “hysteria”. She put out a series of tweets to support her point, one of them referring to a WHO advisory on the matter.
“It’s been months since the spread of #COVID19 started. Lakhs of humans have it, thousands have died. Not 1 out of 50 million cats across the world (except some mythical cat in Belgium) have been infected. WHO has put out an advisory saying that cats can neither get nor give it,” one of her tweets said.
Several Indian states have alerted officials to take measures to safeguard the animals in zoos, national parks, sanctuaries etc.
A veterinary officer with the Jammu and Kashmir wildlife department Ranjit Katoch said the department is following the protocol issued by the Central Zoo Authority and monitoring animals round-the-clock.
She said mammals like carnivores, especially cat, feral and primates were among the animals that were carefully being monitored.
Authorities in the Sunderbans, home to the rare Bengal Tigers, were also monitoring the behaviour of all 88 tigers round the clock, said officials quoted by PTI.
