SAN DIEGO (AP) – Several gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park tested positive for 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 together in the park are believed to have the virus and several are coughing.
It appears that the infection came from a member of the park’s wildlife care team, who also tested positive for the virus, but was asymptomatic and wore a mask all the time around the gorillas. The park has been closed to the public since December 6, as part of the blockade efforts by the state of California to curb coronavirus cases.
Veterinarians are monitoring the gorillas closely and they will remain in their habitat in the park, north of San Diego, Peterson said. For now, they are receiving vitamins, liquids and food, but no specific treatment for the virus.
“In addition to some congestion and cough, the gorillas are doing well,” said Peterson.
Although other wild animals have contracted the tiger mink coronavirus, this is the first known case of transmission to great apes and it is not known whether they will have any serious reactions.
Wildlife experts have expressed concern about the coronavirus infecting gorillas, an endangered species that shares 98.4% of its DNA with humans and are inherently social animals.
The gorillas infected in the San Diego safari park are western lowland gorillas, whose population has declined by more than 60% in the past two decades because of poaching and disease, according to the World Wildlife Fund.
Safari park tested the gorilla troop’s feces after two monkeys started coughing on 6 January. Positive test results were confirmed by the United States Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories on three gorillas. The feces of all eight members of the troop are being taken for testing.
Zoo officials are talking to experts who have treated the coronavirus in humans in case the animals develop more severe symptoms. They will remain together, as separating them can be harmful to gorillas that live in cohesive groups.
“This is wildlife, and they have their own resilience and can heal differently from us,” said Peterson.
The park safari on Monday added more safety measures for its staff, including the requirement for 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 into contact with humans and human materials, park officials said.
The San Diego Zoo Safari Park plans to share what it learns with health officials, conservationists and scientists to develop measures to protect gorillas in Africa’s forests.