In the past century, people have been travelling now all over the world, and they are in contact with all sorts of things - bugs, viruses - and then they go home.
Swine flu, bird flu, even going back to the bubonic plague (rats) idk...
I am not surprised that the poor tiger has been tested positive for this awful and deadly virus.
Last month, when I first read of Wuhan online (!), while sitting on a bench and people-watching outside, I saw someone walking with a very friendly looking dog [a kind of ... doodle dog
], my first instinct was to motion the woman to come over so I could pet her dog, and
THEN, and before I could motion to her, I had a instantaneous mind/heart reflection: "
NO" !
For me, this was a stop-and-whoa flash moment, since I really am a dog person; I really
love dogs, all dogs. Even though I don't own a dog, I could have gotten one, since we are allowed to have pets in our building. And, in the past, I smile at the fact that I have usually managed to pet some dog or other several times a week, even to the point of carrying some Dog Bone biscuits in my safari vest pocket for my favourite dog (and cute owner, who would always hug me).
I think and feel that all these viruses originally came from our contact with some very strange animals (bats, and other strange species), and they have been harmless to and in such animals, but because of their contact with us humans, they have mutated into what we are stuck with now. And if they have mutated in such a way, they can certainly mutate back and go to our beloved animals - whether pets or
domestic animals in general. Even, I think, to those beautiful gorillas in the wild. I would - if I had a pet - be very careful about who touched my pet, and going about touching others' pets.
There are quite a few people walking their dogs in my area, and I now (and for the past month) have given both owner and pet a wide berth.
Obviously, I am not an expert, but it appears to me that we are not being told the whole story.