Centre plans Covid vaccine trial on lions, leopards

AHMEDABAD: With novel coronavirus claiming the lives of two lions in a Chennai zoo, the Centre has decided to give a vaccine developed by ICAR-National Research Centre on Equines (NRCE) in Hisar, Haryana, a shot. And, Sakkarbaug in Junagadh is one of the six zoos in the country where clinical trials will be conducted on lions and leopards.

Sakkarbaug zoo, a nodal facility for lion breeding, houses more than 70 lions and 50 leopards. The trial will be conducted on 15 animals. The vaccine will be administered in two doses with a gap of 28 days. The animals will be observed for antibodies for nearly two months after the second dose. Zoo director Abhishek Kumar said the trials would begin once the Centre grants the final approval. Officials said the Centre directed ICAR-NRCE to develop a vaccine for big cats in zoos after 15 lions at Vandalur zoo in Chennai tested positive for coronavirus in June 2021.