All the 28 captive elephants of the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) in Tamil Nadu tested negative for COVID-19, said authorities of the tiger reserve on Tuesday.
Rectal swabs collected from the elephants were sent to the Indian Veterinary Research Institute at Izatnagar, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh, for tests on June 9.
Arockiaraj Xavier, Deputy Field Director of ATR, told The Hindu that the results returned on Tuesday and all the 28 captive elephants have tested negative.
The Forest Department sent the samples for the test after nine Asiatic lions at the Arignar Anna Zoological Park in Chennai tested positive for COVID-19 and one lioness died of the infection.
Along with the rectal swabs for COVID-19 test, ‘trunk wash’ samples were also collected from the elephants to test them for herpes and tuberculosis. The trunk wash samples were taken using a saline solution.
A. Sukumar, Forest Veterinary Officer, Coimbatore Forest Division, said that the results of the trunk wash samples were awaited.
Of the 28 captive elephants of ATR, 22 are camped at Kozhikamuthi, Top Slip, and the remaining six at Varagaliar, a few kilometres away.
