Nine great apes have been given an experimental Covid-19 vaccine at the San Diego Zoo after an outbreak in a troop of gorillas there in January.
Five bonobos and four orangutans became the first great apes in an American zoo to receive jabs against the disease in January and February.
The animals received two doses of an experimental vaccine, developed by the American veterinary pharmaceutical company Zoetis, for use in animals. The vaccine can also be used in mink, cats and dogs if approved by regulatory agencies.
Zoetis said the zoo had filed an emergency request for the vaccines after eight members of the western lowland gorilla troop tested positive for Covid-19 in early 2021, with symptoms including coughing, runny noses and lethargy.
The gorillas are believed to have caught it from an asymptomatic zookeeper who tested positive for the virus. The zoo said staff had always worn masks around the gorillas. The troop has since fully recovered and the public is allowed to revisit the animals after the restrictions are lifted.
“That made us realize that our other monkeys were at risk,” Nadine Lamberski, the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s chief conservation and wildlife health officer, told the San Diego Union-Tribune. “We wanted to do our best to protect them from this virus because we don’t really know how it will affect them.”
Dogs, cats and mink are among the animals that tested positive for Covid during the pandemic, but scientists are especially concerned about the spread of the virus to great apes such as gorillas, chimpanzees and orangutans.
The Guardian understands that the UK government has no plans to vaccinate primates in zoos and that there have been no reports of Covid-19 infections. The London Zoo said the experimental vaccine was not available in the UK, adding that the health team would explore all options for protecting its animals.
Amanda Guthrie, Head of Wildlife Services at the Zoological Society of London, said: “Zookeepers take strict precautions to ensure the safety of sensitive animals, including wearing masks and gloves when preparing their food and cleaning up their enclosures. . “
In March 2020, scientists warned that populations of chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans could be wiped out during the coronavirus pandemic.