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Masks required at T&D’s Cats of the World to protect the lions and tigers
Posted Jun 06, 2020
PENNS CREEK – Wearing a protective mask in public is recommended these days due to the COVID-19 epidemic.
At T&D’s Cats of the World in Snyder County, a mask is a requirement, not so much for the benefit of the visitors but to protect the animals.
There are still many unknowns about what species of animals are able to get COVID-19 from people, Jennifer Mattive, one of the owners, said Friday.
It is known tigers and lions can get the coronavirus but they can’t give it and monkeys can catch colds from people, she said.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is among the agencies that suggested a mandatory mask policy to protect the animals, she said.
Most visitors are willing to wear a mask, Mattive said. “It’s a nice feeling they are that concerned about the animals,” she said.
The menagerie, along Mountain Road off Troxelville Road about a mile west of Penns Creek, is marking its 30th anniversary this year.
The animals, which include 13 tigers, two lions, bobcats, monkeys, bear, foxes and wolves, do not seem to mind the masked people, Mattive said.
T&D’s receives animals in need from private individuals, government agencies, zoos and other refuge organizations. It has accepted nearly 300 abused, mistreated or unwanted animals since it opened.
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