Eight Asiatic lions at an Indian zoo have contracted the coronavirus, the government said, adding that there was no evidence that animals could transmit the disease to humans.

Zoo authorities in the southern state of Hyderabad shared samples with a government research laboratory on March 24 after the lions showed signs of respiratory distress.

“Based on experience with zoo animals elsewhere in the world that have experienced SARS-COV2 positive last year, there is no factual evidence that animals can transmit the disease to humans any further,” the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said.

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