Four animals, two chimpanzees and two orangutans were suspected to have infected with COVID virus at the Dehiwala zoo, Wildlife Protection State Minister Wimalaweera Dissanayake said.

He said the relevant officials have been advised to conduct further investigation to confirm whether the animals were infected with the disease. 

Earlier, an eleven year old lion, 'Thor', which was a gift from a zoo in Seoul in 2013, was found positive with COVID becoming the first known case of an animal contracting it in the country.

Later, the 12-year-old lioness 'Sheena' was tested positive. Both the lion and the lioness have recovered.

However, the latest health guidelines issued by the Health Ministry said 25% of people can enter the zoological gardens at any given time. (Chaturanga Samarawickrama)