Three snow leopards die of COVID-19 at Nebraska zoo

Three snow leopards at a zoo in Lincoln, Nebraska, have died of complications from COVID-19, the Lincoln Children's Zoo announced Friday evening. Two Sumatran tigers who contracted the virus at the zoo have "seemingly" recovered, the zoo also announced.

"Our leopards, Ranney, Everest, and Makaly, were beloved by our entire community inside and outside of the zoo," the zoo said in a statement. "This loss is truly heartbreaking, and we are all grieving together."

The zoo first reported that the tigers and snow leopards tested positive for COVID-19 on October 13. After zoo staff noticed the animals had symptoms consistent with the disease, testing was done using fecal samples and nasal swabs. The big cats were treated with steroids and antibiotics to prevent secondary infection. No other animals at the zoo were showing signs of infection at the time and all of the infected animals had been anticipated to make a full recovery, the zoo reported.