Two Sumatran tigers at the Ragunan Wildlife Park (TMR), named Tino and Hari, have been confirmed positive for COVID-19 on 15th July 2021, despite the zoo being closed to visitors since 22nd June.
DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan posed questions to the medical team. “As far as we know, there are no guests here,” said Anies. Where did Hari and Tino get COVID-19 from?
The veterinarian who is treating Tino and Hari, Dr. Endah Rumiyati, explained that Tino and Hari might have been exposed through their nurses who may have already been exposed to the virus. However, said Endah, there are still no nurses who work with Tino and Hari who have tested positive for COVID-19 after tracing.
“Indeed, we will continue to do tracing because no one has shown any symptoms of illness. But we do not rule out the possibility of asymptomatic transmission,” said Endah in a video broadcast on Sunday 1st August.
After Endah’s explanation, Anies also asked the medical team to ensure that all the animals in Ragunan were not exposed to COVID-19 in the same way as the two Sumatran tigers.
“Apart from the Sumatran tigers Hari and Tino, none of the animals in Ragunan show symptoms of COVID-19. Our medical team did a swab test because these animals showed clinical symptoms of illness, so we did not carry out any tests on other animals that did not show symptoms of clinical illness,” said Endah.