Armed with a tub of meat chunks, black protective gloves and several long cotton swabs, a staff member approached the chain-link fence of a behind-the-scenes...
Because the gorillas were asymptomatic and had been together for almost a week before the results came in, the zoo made the choice not to quarantine the COVID-positive gorillas. After the initial results came back, three more gorillas tested positive for the virus but also remained asymptomatic.
“A lot of it is symptomatic treatment, so if they’re not eating or drinking, giving them fluids to help maintain their hydration,” she said, adding that some animals at other facilities have been treated with antibiotics or steroids. “Some facilities have given monoclonal antibodies. It really depends on how sick that animal is.”
Employees have always used personal protective equipment with primates because they can get other viruses from humans, such as the common cold. Those precautions, as well as frequent hand-washing, disinfecting of equipment and limiting who is within 6 feet of susceptible animals, have been extended to other species during the pandemic.
After the gorillas tested positive, all staff members who work with those animals were tested weekly. If someone who works with a susceptible animal isn’t feeling well, they are tested as a precaution.