Gorillas diagnosed with COVID-19 at US safari park
This is first known transmission of the virus to apes, according to the zoo officials.

Share
LOS ANGELES – As many as eight gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are believed to have contracted the coronavirus from a human handler after one of the animals tested positive.
Three among the band of critically endangered western lowland gorillas at the sprawling wildlife park have shown symptoms of the respiratory virus, such as coughing, though none appears severely ill, and all are expected to fully recover, the zoo said in online statement.
Laboratory analysis of a fecal sample collected last Wednesday from one of two gorillas initially seen coughing detected the presence of the virus two days later, zoo spokesman Andrew James said.
The positive results were confirmed on Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories, the zoo said on its website.
The gorillas are believed to have contracted the SAR-CoV-2, the scientific name of the virus that causes COVID-19, from an asymptomatic staff member, despite adherence to strict bio-security protocols consistent with U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, the zoo said.
Zoo officials said they do not know how the coronavirus will ultimately affect gorillas or what additional symptoms may occur, Reuters reported.
Coronavirus: Tiger tests positive for COVID-19 at ... 12:11 PM | 6 Apr, 2020NEW YORK – A tiger at the Bronx Zoo in New York City has tested positive for the new coronavirus, in what is ...
The coronavirus has also been found in a number of other wild-animal species in captivity, including several lions and tigers at the Bronx Zoo in New York and four lions at the Barcelona Zoo in Spain. But the gorillas in San Diego are the first known case of infections confirmed in apes.
- Home lawn grass trimming05:46 AM | 5 Aug, 2022
- Best Fertilizers for Home Garden09:59 AM | 26 Jul, 2022
- Make your own wanda for milch animals11:29 AM | 18 Jul, 2022
- What is the right age of paddy nursery to transfer?03:14 PM | 2 Jul, 2022
- Cotton crop care during monsoon05:45 PM | 28 Jun, 2022
- Pakistan's Arshad Nadeem wins gold medal at Islamic Solidarity Games10:26 PM | 12 Aug, 2022
- 'I don't need a man in my life,' says Urwa Hocane09:49 PM | 12 Aug, 2022
- Controversial writer Salman Rushdie stabbed in New York09:24 PM | 12 Aug, 2022
- Hadiqa Kiani announces relief campaign for flood victims08:51 PM | 12 Aug, 2022
- Mansha Pasha and Ahmed Ali Akbar to star in 'The Idiots'08:25 PM | 12 Aug, 2022
- 'I don't need a man in my life,' says Urwa Hocane09:49 PM | 12 Aug, 2022
- Hadiqa Kiani announces relief campaign for flood victims08:51 PM | 12 Aug, 2022
- Popular YouTuber Nadir Ali blessed with a baby boy06:48 PM | 12 Aug, 2022
- Pakistan ranks second worst on gender inequality10:55 PM | 13 Jul, 2022
- Pakistani celebrities who are performing Hajj 202210:16 PM | 5 Jul, 2022
- Films releasing in Pakistan on Eidul Adha 202211:51 PM | 5 Jul, 2022
- Pakistan’s largest city Karachi still among world’s least ...06:26 PM | 23 Jun, 2022