Nine great apes at the San Diego Zoo have become the first non-humans to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.
Four orangutans and five bonobos at the California Zoo received doses of an experimental coronavirus vaccine developed specifically for animals last month.
One of these orangutans, named Karen, was the first in the world to have open heart surgery in 1994.
The vaccines, which are not designed for humans, were delivered after eight zoo gorillas tested positive for COVID-19 in January after being infected by a zoo keeper.
Zoo staff were able to manage the shots after distracting the monkeys with treats.
Nadine Lamberski, head of wildlife conservation and health at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, told National Geographic that the monkeys suffered no adverse reactions and were doing well.
Four orangutans, including one named Karen (at the top), and five bonobos at the San Diego Zoo in California were given doses of an experimental coronavirus vaccine made for animals last month.
The vaccine, developed by New Jersey-based veterinary pharmaceutical company Zoetis, has only been tested on dogs and cats.
Lamberski, however, said it was worth the risk given that the 14 gorillas, eight bonobos and four orangutans at the zoo spend a considerable amount of time indoors together, where the virus can spread more easily.
He said blood samples from an orangutan and bonobos are now being tested to see if the animals have developed antibodies, which would mean the vaccine would work.
The zoo has three doses left, which will go to the bonobos and a gorilla that did not contract COVID-19 when the outbreak occurred two months ago.
This is not the norm. In my career, I have not had access to an experimental vaccine so early in the process, nor have I had such an overwhelming desire to want to use it, ”said Lamberski.
“It’s not that we take a vaccine at random and give it to a new species. There’s a lot of reflection and research: what are the risks of doing it and what is the risk of not doing it. Our motto is, above all, not to do any harm ”.
Lamberski said it was common to give vaccines that have been tested in one species to another because they are designed for a specific pathogen.
Vaccines were distributed after eight gorillas at the zoo tested positive for COVID-19 in January after being infected by a zoo keeper.
“We usually use vaccines designed with dogs and cats for lions and tigers,” he said, adding that zoo monkeys are given flu and measles vaccines.
Other zoos in the United States have already requested vaccines from Zoetis for their animals.
The park’s executive director, Lisa Peterson, revealed in January that eight gorillas living in the park tested positive after several began coughing.
The gorillas at the San Diego Zoo will not be vaccinated for now, as they have been exposed.
Gorilla troops tested positive for COVID-19 in early January after a zoo keeper became infected.
Some gorillas showed symptoms such as mild cough, congestion, and intermittent lethargy.
One of the gorillas, a 49-year-old silver man named Winston, received antibody therapy as part of his treatment because he had pneumonia, probably caused by the virus, as well as heart disease.
It has now recovered.
Officials had tested the gorilla troop after two monkeys began coughing on Jan. 6. The national veterinary services laboratories of the Department of Agriculture confirmed the positive results of the tests on three gorillas.
The park north of San Diego has been closed to the public as part of California’s closure efforts to curb cases and the park’s wildlife care team wore masks at all times around gorillas.
Wildlife experts have expressed concern about the contamination of VOCIDs by gorillas, as they are an endangered species that share 98.4% of their DNA with humans and are intrinsically social animals.
California, a state devastated by COVID-19, has so far vaccinated 7.6 percent of its 40 million population.
California, a state devastated by COVID-19, has so far vaccinated 7.6 percent of its 40 million population