Several orangutans and bonobos at the San Diego Zoo have been given an experimental COVID-19 vaccine specifically designed for animals. They mark the first known non-human primates to have made the recording.
An orangutan named Karen, who made history in 1994 as the first monkey in the world to undergo open-heart surgery, was among those who received the vaccine, according to National Geographic.
Last month, Karen, along with three other orangutans and five bonobos at the zoo, each received two doses of the vaccine, which was developed by the veterinary pharmaceutical company Zoetis.
“This is not the norm. In my career I have not had access to an experimental vaccine so early in the process and have not had such an overwhelming desire to want to use one,” said Nadine Lamberski, head of conservation and animals. in the wild. health official at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Nat Geo told.
Brent Stirton, Getty Images for National Geographic
In January, eight gorillas at the zoo became the world’s first great apes tests positive for coronavirusThey are now recovering.
Infections have also been confirmed in dogs, cats mink tigers, lions and various other animals around the world. Great apes, however, are a particular concern among conservationists.
All gorilla species are listed as endangered or critically endangered on the IUCN Red List, with “susceptibility to disease” as one of the major threats. Infections spread quickly among the animals, which live in close family groups.
COVID-19 has the potential to eradicate populations of gorillas, chimpanzees, orangutans and bonobos if humans don’t take steps to prevent their spread, experts have warned
Zoetis started developing a COVID-19 vaccine for dogs and cats after the first dog tested positive for the virus in Hong Kong over a year ago. It was considered safe and effective in October, but testing had only been done in dogs and cats.
Still, Lamberski decided that vaccinating the great apes was worth the risk. She told National Geographic that they have not had any negative reaction and that they will soon be tested for antibodies to determine if the shots were a success.
Brent Stirton, Getty Images for National Geographic
“It’s not like we just randomly take a vaccine and give it to a new strain,” she said. “There is a lot of thought and research – what is the risk of doing it and what is the risk of not doing it. Our motto is above all: do no harm.”
Lamberski said that because vaccines are made for a specific pathogen and not a specific species, it is common to give a vaccine for one species to another. Monkeys at the zoo are given flu and measles vaccines designed for humans.
A Zoetis spokesperson told National Geographic that other US zoos have requested doses of the vaccine for their own great apes. The company expects more to be available in June.
In addition, the company is currently conducting trials of the vaccine in mink – of which there are tens of thousands because of COVID-19