At least seven beavers in Mongolia have tested positive for COVID-19, the country's National Center for Zoonotic Diseases (NCZD) said Saturday.

"Workers of the Beaver Breeding Center at the Environmental Department of the capital Ulan Bator tested positive for the COVID-19 in August. After that, the COVID-19 Delta variant has been detected in seven beavers," Nyamdorj Tsogbadrakh, director of the NCZD, told local media.

It is the first time that COVID-19 has been detected in animals in Mongolia, Tsogbadrakh said.

He said the infected beavers showed symptoms, such as coughing, runny nose, sticky eyes and others, adding that they have already recovered.

The disease has spread to the capital city and all 21 provinces of the country, and the Delta variant, in particular, has been detected in the capital and 20 provinces.

Mongolia, with a population of around 3.4 million, has registered a total of 252,648 COVID-19 cases, with 1,021 related deaths.

(All images via VCG)

(If you want to contribute and have specific expertise, please contact us at nature@cgtn.com.)