The lion named ‘Thor’ at the Dehiwala Zoo which had contracted COVID-19 has returned to health.

However, ‘Thor’ has become weak due to old age, Minister of Wildlife & Forest Conservation C.B. Rathnayake said, speaking on the matter.

Meanwhile, the PCR tests carried out on the lioness which was in the den with ‘Thor’ have come out negative, he added.

On June 18, the Department of National Zoological Gardens confirmed that the 11-year-old lion was tested positive for the novel coronavirus in several PCR tests.

Further, local officials had decided to seek the assistance and consultation from India’s Central Zoo Authority with regard to treatments required for the coronavirus-infected lion.

After being brought to Sri Lanka from Seoul Zoo in South Korea in 2013, ‘Thor’ had been in the exhibit at the Dehiwala Zoo for the past 08 years.

The National Zoological Gardens Department stated that ‘Thor’ had been suffering from breathing difficulties and loss of appetite for days.

The lion was first subjected to a rapid antigen test which turned out to be negative. However, a subsequent PCR tests had confirmed that ‘Thor’ had contracted the virus.

According to reports, two other animals held at the Dehiwala Zoo had also died suddenly but the National Zoological Gardens Department revealed that the cause of death of these animals was not coronavirus infection. A pygmy hippopotamus has died of bacterial allergy of the gastrointestinal tract and a zebra has died of an infection caused by intestinal blockage.