A four-year-old female Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York has tested positive for the deadly coronavirus.

The tiger, whose name is Nadia, is considered to be the first known animal infected with COVID-19 in the US.

According to the Bronx Zoo, in New York City, the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Iowa confirmed the test result.

The tiger, together with six other big cats is believed to have contracted the virus from an asymptomatic zookeeper.

The cats started exhibiting symptoms, including a dry cough, late last month after exposure to the employee. Meanwhile, the employee is yet to be identified.

Speaking on the incident, Paul Calle, the chief veterinarian at the zoo, told Reuters news agency on Sunday that this is the first of its kind so far.

“This is the first time that any of us know of anywhere in the world that a person infected the animal and the animal got sick,” Calle said.

In any case, experts have stressed there is no evidence that the animals can become sick or spread the disease.

Furthermore, Mr Calle said he plans to share the findings with other zoos and institutions investigating the transmission of Covid-19.

“We tested the cat [Nadia] out of an abundance of caution and will ensure any knowledge we gain about Covid-19 will contribute to the world’s continuing understanding of this novel coronavirus,” the zoo said in a statement.

Nadia, her sister Azul, as well as two Amur tigers and three African lions who showed symptoms, are all expected to make a full recovery, the zoo said.

The big cats did have some decrease in appetite but “are otherwise doing well under veterinary care and are bright, alert, and interactive with their keepers”, it said.

“Our cats were infected by a person caring for them who was asymptomatically infected with the virus or before that person developed symptoms,” said the zoo.

All the tigers showing symptoms were housed in the zoo’s Tiger Mountain area. It is unclear if others will be tested.