SAN DIEGO (AP) – Several gorillas at the San Diego Zoo have tested positive for the coronavirus in what is believed to be the first known case among these primates in the United States and possibly the world.
The park’s executive director, Lisa Peterson, told The Associated Press on Monday that eight gorillas living in the park are believed to have the virus and several have been coughing.
The infection appears to have come from a member of the park’s wildlife care team who also tested positive for the virus, but has been asymptomatic and wore a mask at all times around gorillas. The park has been closed to the public since Dec. 6 as part of California state blockade efforts to curb coronavirus cases.
Veterinarians are closely monitoring the gorillas and will remain in their habitat in the park, north of San Diego, Peterson said. At the moment, they are being given vitamins, fluids and food, but there is no specific treatment for the virus.
“Aside from some congestion and coughing, the gorillas are doing well,” Peterson said.
Although other wild animals have contracted the mink coronavirus to tigers, this is the first known case of transmission to great apes and it is unknown if they will have any serious reaction.
Wildlife experts have expressed concern about gorillas infecting the coronavirus, an endangered species that shares 98.4% of its DNA with humans and are intrinsically social animals.
Infected gorillas in the San Diego Safari Park are western lowland gorillas, whose population has declined by more than 60% in the last two decades due to poaching and disease, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
The safari park tested the feces of the gorilla troop after two monkeys began coughing on January 6th. The national veterinary services laboratories of the Department of Agriculture confirmed the positive results of the tests on three gorillas. The feces of the eight members of the troop are being tested.
Zoo officials speak to experts who have been treating coronavirus in humans in case the animals show more severe symptoms. They will stay together, as separating them can be detrimental to gorillas living in groups together.
“This is wildlife and they have their own resilience and can be cured differently than we do,” Peterson said.
The safari park on Monday added more security measures for its staff, including face protection and goggles when working in contact with animals.
Confirmation that gorillas are susceptible to coronavirus contributes to information about how the pandemic can affect these species in their native habitats where they come in contact with humans and human materials, park officials said.
The San Diego Zoo Zoo plans to share what it learns with health officials, environmentalists and scientists to develop measures to protect gorillas in Africa’s forests.