Hyderabad, Apr 10 (IANS): After a tiger in a zoo in the US tested positive for coronavirus, a farmer in Telangana came out with an innovative idea to save his goats from the deadly virus.

K. Venkateshwara Rao of the Khammam district tied masks on his goats' muzzles to protect them from possible human to animal transmission.

The man in the Peruvancha village of Kalluru 'mandal' (block) made special masks from cloth and covered the muzzles of all his 20 goats.

Rao said he acted after reading in newspapers about a tiger in New York's Bronx Zoo testing positive for COVID-19 and the authorities in all Zoos in India taking special measures to protect the animals.

Rao, who himself wears face mask while herding the cattle, said his goats were the only source of income for his family and hence he decided to take precautions by making masks for them.

"I did not want to take any chance, so I put these masks. After reaching the interior forest area I remove their masks to enable them to graze and again cover them while returning home in the evening," he said.