Malayan tiger Azul jumps into the spotlight today for her debut. She’s the first female Malayan tiger at our Zoo. In the future, we will introduce her to our male, Bumi, in the hope that they produce cubs. Read more at https://t.co/PQHNibd7cJ #TongueOutTuesday #EndangeredSpecies pic.twitter.com/h7d1mL76s7
— Woodland Park Zoo (@woodlandparkzoo) January 19, 2021
Without question, the pandemic is significant and tragic for the injuries and losses it causes among people. Still, some small number of animals have also become ill, and Taylor Blatchford reports about one of those animals in Woodland Park Zoo’s new tiger was one of world’s first animals to test positive for coronavirus. She made a full recovery:
The Woodland Park Zoo’s newest tiger, Azul, has a dubious claim to fame: She was one of the first animals in the world to be diagnosed with COVID-19 last spring while living at New York’s Bronx Zoo.
While there’s an inherent risk in transferring an animal from one zoo to another, Woodland Park isn’t worried that Azul could bring the coronavirus to its animals.
She fully recovered last April, along with other tigers and lions that had tested positive. As she continues adjusting to her new home, Woodland Park hopes she’ll be the mother to future tiger cubs.
The 5-year-old Malayan tiger flew to Seattle with her New York City zookeepers in September. She entered the public enclosure this week after a standard 30-day quarantine and time to adjust to her new home.