Two gorillas in the San Diego Zoo Safari Park have tested positive COVID-19, the zoo announced Monday. A third gorilla is symptomatic but did not test positive, and several others could be infected as well, the zoo said.
The gorilla’s feces were tested after two of them started coughing on Jan.6 and showed “other mild symptoms,” the zoo said in a press release. The tests were positive on Jan. 8 and were confirmed by the USDA’s National Veterinary Services Laboratories on Jan. 11.
The gorillas are believed to have been infected by an asymptomatic staff member.
So far, zookeepers say the gorillas are doing well. While only two of the gorillas tested positive, the zoo said they should assume they have all been exposed since living together. Lisa Peterson, the park’s director, told The Associated Press on Monday that eight gorillas would have the virus.
“They are being closely monitored and there is nothing to suggest that they will not make a full recovery,” said the zoo. It is believed to be the first instance of the coronavirus to be transmitted to great apes.
The zoo said it cannot say for sure whether the gorillas will develop any other symptoms, but noted that the gorillas showing symptoms are being cared for by veterinarians and the rest of the gorillas are being “carefully observed.”
According to CBS partner KFMB-TV, the zoo has been closed to the public since December 6.
Animal populations are not affected by the coronavirus as often as humans, although one tiger at the Bronx Zoo tested positive in New York in April. In November Denmark harvested more than 15 million mink after an outbreak of a mutated version of the coronavirus. Some feared that if the new strain had been passed on to humans, it would have been resistant to the vaccines being developed at the time.