Mongolia confirms first animal deaths due to COVID-19

ULAN BATOR, Sept. 15 : Lab test results have showed that COVID-19 caused the deaths of two beavers in Mongolia, the country's General Authority for Veterinary Services (GAVS) said Wednesday.
"Two beavers died in mysterious circumstances in our country last month, and laboratory test results have showed that the COVID-19 caused the deaths," Adiyasuren Tuvshinbayar, an expert of the authority, told Xinhua over the phone.

This is the first confirmed cases of animal deaths in the country due to COVID-19.
The dead beavers were from the Beaver Breeding Center at the Environmental Department of the capital Ulan Bator, and another seven beavers of the center have tested positive for the virus, according to the country's National Center for Zoonotic Diseases (NCZD).

Beaver ranchers of the center tested positive for COVID-19 in August and the beavers may have contracted the virus from their ranchers, Nyamdorj Tsogbadrakh, director of the NCZD, told Xinhua.

The seven beavers infected with the Delta variant of COVID-19 showed several symptoms, including cough, runny nose and sticky eyes, Tsogbadrakh said, adding that the beavers have fully recovered from the disease thanks to proper treatments.

In addition to the beavers, the country has confirmed that two pet cats have tested positive for COVID-19.