World Health Organisation investigates human transmission of the coronavirus to pets

World Health Organisation officials on Wednesday said they are investigating several cases where pets, and even a Tiger, seemed to have been infected with the coronavirus by their human caretakers.

“We’re aware of two dogs that have been infected in Hong Kong, a cat in Belgium, and we’ve heard recently the reports of a tiger at the Bronx Zoo,” said Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s technical lead on the outbreak.

“There are several groups that are conducting investigations in animals to really understand how pets are infected.” Kerkhove added during a press conference.

According to a study conducted on cats in Wuhan, the pets could be infected with the coronavirus due to their caretakers, Kerkhove said.