Sri Lanka seeks Indian help to treat virus-hit lion

SriLanka's main zoo on Friday said it was seekingIndianhelptotreatalionthat tested positive for Covid-19 -- the first animal on the island known to be infected.

The Department of National Zoological Gardens said it was consulting vets at the Central Zoo Authority of India totreat11-year-old Thor, aliongifted by Seoul's zoo in 2013.

"We are seeking guidance from the Central Zoo Authority in treating Thor," Director General Ishini Wickremesinghe said in a statement.

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Thor had been experiencing breathing difficulties and refused food, prompting authorities at the Dehiwala Zoo, near theSriLankan capital, to test it for coronavirus.

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Wickremesinghe said several PCR tests were carried out to confirm that thelionhad contracted the virus after an initial antigen test result was negative.

Officials said Thor was receiving oxygen treatment and four other lions at the zoo had been isolated. Their keepers have been sent to quarantine.

In India, at least two lions have reportedly died of Covid-19 this month -- the first being a nine-year-old lioness at a Tamil Nadu zoo.

Authorities there have also tested dozens of elephants for the virus at a forest reserve.

SriLankahas banned travellers from India to prevent a more virulent strain of Covid-19 entering the nation as it battles a third wave of infections.

At least 2,425 people have died in the country and more than 233,000 have been infected, with the island currently under a month-long lockdown.