​​Belgian Zoo Hippos Test Positive for Covid

By: Lauren Chalouhi

A zoo in Belgium said that their two hippos have been taken into quarantine after they both tested positive for the coronavirus.

It isn’t clear how the two hippos, Imani, aged 14, and Hermien, 41, caught the virus. The zoo said they were doing well apart from a runny nose.

Restrictions at the zoo are now more strict until the animals test negative. Around the world, there have been many reports of captive animals infected with “Sars-CoV-2.”

Hippos’ noses are usually wet, but the vets at Antwerp Zoo decided to test the two after they noticed they were “expelling snot.”

The hippos’ enclosure has now been sealed off. The handlers, who have been tested negative, have to go through a procedure before tending to them.