The US San Diego Zoo recently became the first to graft its monkeys. Other zoos want to follow suit, but so far the vaccine is not enough.
At the San Diego Zoo in January, gorillas coughing was the first warning sign. Concerns were soon confirmed: these gorillas became the first known monkeys to be confirmed infected with the new coronavirus. The outbreak was linked to a zoo joint who had contracted Covid-19.
Scientists and veterinarians are now looking for ways to protect animals from the coronavirus, often through the social isolation we already have, regular health checks, and some zoos also use a vaccine.
“At the San Diego Zoo, we decided to groom the big monkeys. We chose to vaccinate our orangutans and bonobo monkeys, as well as some gorillas, ”said Nadine Lamberska, a spokeswoman for the San Diego Zoo Alliance.
The San Diego Zoo is believed to be the first to vaccinate primates.
In early March, the experimental vaccine was administered to 13 monkeys. The vaccine was developed by the animal pharmaceutical company Zoetis in New Jersey. The San Diego Zoo turned to it after a gorilla contracted Covid-19.
Orangutan at San Diego Zoo, USA after receiving Covid-19 vaccine
Foto: via REUTERS, SAN DIEGO ZOO WILDLIFE ALLIANCE
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“As you can imagine, we have a lot of demand for vaccines from zoos in the United States and around the world,” said Mahex Kumar, vice president of pharmaceutical company Zoetis.
However, as with human vaccines, the demand is still higher than the supply. More vaccines for animals will only be available later in the spring or summer. Other zoos want to vaccinate not only primates but also animals such as tigers and lions.
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