Snow Leopard Dies of Suspected COVID-19

A “sweet and playful” snow leopard died at a South Dakota zoo Thursday night of what zookeepers suspect is COVID-19. Baya, age 2, first showed symptoms of a respiratory infection Sunday night. On Thursday, an Amur tiger at the zoo named Keesa tested positive for the coronavirus. That night, Baya died. Great Plains Zoo said in a Facebook post, “Baya first exhibited symptoms of a cough on Sunday, and experienced a rapid decline in her respiratory function over the next days. Despite the staff's arduous efforts, Baya passed away the evening of October 7.”