A snow leopard at San Diego Zoo tests positive for COVID-19. Ramil, a 9-year-old snow leopard at the San Diego Zoo has tested positive for COVID-19. The feline suffered from a runny nose and a cough, which prompted zoo officials to have him tested.  Two separate tests came back positive. There is no word on how Ramil got infected. Zoo staff is required to stay masked if they are unvaccinated. Though I am far from an expert on this topic, I would assume that the animals would not be close enough to visitors to catch it from them. Ramil and the three other animals he shares an exhibit with are currently quarantine and the exhibit is temporarily closed. There have been several animals who have gotten vaccinated, but Ramil is not one of them. Ramil is the first snow leopard to catch COVID but not the first animal. Earlier primates at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park came down with the virus. The animals have since recovered. The North Carolina Zoo is in the process of vaccinating some of its animals as well.

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Gallery Snow Leopards

• Snow Leopard Cubs on Display at Taronga Zoo

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  SYDNEY, NSW - DECEMBER 20: Samarra, the mother of the new twin Snow Leopards, keeps an eye on her cubs on their first official day on display at Taronga Zoo December 20, 2005 in Sydney, Australia. The male and female Snow Leopard cubs were born in October to parents Leon and Samarra as part of Taronga Zoo's breeding program. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

• Snow Leopard Cubs on Display at Taronga Zoo

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  SYDNEY, NSW - DECEMBER 20: Twin Snow Leopards take in their surrounds on their first official day on display at Taronga Zoo December 20, 2005 in Sydney, Australia. The male and female Snow Leopard cubs were born in October to parents Leon and Samarra as part of Taronga Zoo's breeding program. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

• Snow Leopard Cubs on Display at Taronga Zoo

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  SYDNEY, NSW - DECEMBER 20: A twin Snow Leopards take in its surrounds on its first official day on display at Taronga Zoo December 20, 2005 in Sydney, Australia. The male and female Snow Leopard cubs were born in October to parents Leon and Samarra as part of Taronga Zoo's breeding program. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)
• Freezing Temperatures Continue To Grip The Country

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  NORFOLK, UNITED KINGDOM - JANUARY 07: A Snow Leopard walks in the snow at Banham Zoo on January 7, 2010 in Norfolk, United Kingdom. The MET Office has put in place severe weather warnings for much of Britain today as heavy snowfall sweeps across southern counties from Scotland and the north of England. It is predicted that the freezing conditions will bring Britain's heaviest snowfall for 23 years with some areas of southern England estimated to receive up to 40cm of snow. on January 7, 2010 in Norfolk, United Kingdom. (Photo by Jamie McDonald/Getty Images)

• Snow Leopard Cubs Make Their Public Debut At The San Francisco Zoo

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  SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 09: A pair of two month-old Snow Leopard cubs walk around their enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo on August 9, 2018 in San Francisco, California. A pair of two month-old Snow Leopard cubs made their public debut at the San Francisco Zoo. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

• Snow Leopard Cubs Make Their Public Debut At The San Francisco Zoo

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  SAN FRANCISCO, CA - AUGUST 09: A newborn baby Snow Leopard cub walks through its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo on August 9, 2018 in San Francisco, California. A pair of two month-old Snow Leopard cubs made their public debut at the San Francisco Zoo. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
• Melbourne Zoo Reopens To Public As Coronavirus Restrictions Ease

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  MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 01: Snow Leopards are seen at Melbourne Zoo on June 01, 2020 in Melbourne, Australia. Melbourne Zoo has reopened to the public as COVID-19 restrictions ease around Australia following the steady decline in infection rates. Melbourne Zoo has temporarily closed its doors on 24 March 2020 in line with government restrictions put in place to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Restrictions continue to ease around Australia in response to the country's declining COVID-19 infection rate. In Victoria, museums, zoos and galleries can reopen while restaurants, pubs and cafes can serve meals for up to 20 patrons. Beauty salons, spas and tattoo parlours can also open for up to 20 people. Gatherings of up 20 people in a home, overnight stays at private residences and tourist accommodations and greater numbers at weddings, funerals and religious ceremonies are also permitted as of 1 June 2020. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/Getty Images)

• New Yorkers Revel During Second Snow Storm Of The Week For The City

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  NEW YORK, NEW YORK - FEBRUARY 18: A Snow Leopard sits on a rock in its enclosure at Central Park Zoo during a snow fall on February 18, 2021 in New York City. The U.S. National Weather Service issued a winter weather advisory that a total of 6 to 8 inches of snow is expected on Thursday and Friday in parts of the Northeast, including Southeast New York. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images)

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