American zoo: 12 gorillas undergoing treatment after contracting the Corona virus

Site report detection insider More than a dozen gorillas at Zoo Atlanta have tested positive for the coronavirus. The gorillas have been tested after showing symptoms, including coughing, nasal discharge and changes in appetite. Some are being treated with monoclonal antibodies and officials hope they will make a full recovery.

Facility officials said more than a dozen western lowland gorillas at the Atlanta Zoo have tested positive for the virus.

In total, at least 12 gorillas at the Atlanta Zoo have been diagnosed positive after showing symptoms of the disease, including coughing, nasal secretions and changes in their appetite, zoo officials said in a statement. Zoo officials have taken stool samples, zoo officials said in a statement. And the nose, tested at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory in Athens.

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“Teams are collecting samples for testing for the entire gorilla population at the zoo, which includes 20 individuals living in four troopers, and will regularly test the gorillas regardless of the presence of symptoms,” the zoo said in a statement.

Dr. Sam Rivera, Senior Director of Animal Health at Zoo Atlanta It is believed that the virus was first transmitted to the gorilla by a vaccinated asymptomatic employee caring for them and said the worker had no symptoms and was wearing personal protective equipment but later tested positive.

Zoo employees are not required to get vaccinated, even though a high percentage of workers have been vaccinated, according to a zoo spokesperson. Additional preventive measures, including tyvek masks and suits, revised cleaning protocols, and increased ventilation have been put in place in the gorilla building.

After the gorilla recovers from the disease, the zoo will vaccinate it with a vaccine ZoetisThe Atlanta Zoo has already vaccinated some of its species, including the Burnie and Sumatran orangutans, Sumatran tigers, their African lions, and their cloudy tiger.

Zoo Atlanta told the US Island Commission that gorillas most at risk of developing serious complications are being treated with monoclonal antibodies, including 60-year-old Ozzie, who is showing mild symptoms of the disease. completely.