ABOVE: Two of the eight gorillas currently in quarantine at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park
COURTESY SAN DIEGO ZOO SAFARI PARK
Three western lowland gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the US Department of Agriculture announced yesterday (January 11), marking the first confirmed cases of the virus in great apes.
“Aside from some congestion and coughing, the gorillas are doing well,” Lisa Peterson, the executive director of the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, says in a statement. “The troop [of eight] remains quarantined together and are eating and drinking. We are hopeful for a full recovery.”
The three infected gorillas, which have runny noses and are lethargic, likely contracted the virus from an asymptomatic zoo worker, similar to the three lions and five tigers that tested positive at the Bronx Zoo in April, according to Peterson.
Two of the gorillas first began coughing ...
