San Diego Zoo vaccinates great apes against coronavirus
- Four orangutans and five bonobos have been vaccinated so far, with the zoo planning to immunise another three bonobos and a gorilla soon
- A wildlife health officer said most of the animals haven’t had any visible side effects
Four orangutans and five bonobos have been vaccinated so far, with the zoo planning to immunise another three bonobos and a gorilla soon. These species, along with chimpanzees, are the closest cousins to humans, placing them at risk of contracting a virus that has spread rapidly from person to person.
In mid-January, the zoo’s Safari Park reported that its troop of eight gorillas developed Covid-19 after exposure to a keeper who had the virus, even though the employee had no symptoms and wore protective equipment.
“That made us realise that our other apes were at risk,” said Nadine Lamberski, chief conservation and wildlife health officer for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. “We wanted to do our best to protect them from this virus because we don’t really know how it’s going to impact them.”
Many of the zoo’s veterinary surgeons and other staffers who work with animals have now been vaccinated against the coronavirus, but Lamberski said that wasn’t the case in January.