Coronavirus: Gorillas at San Diego Zoo test positive for COVID-19
A pair of gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park have tested positive for COVID-19, and a third is symptomatic, in what scientists are investigating as a possible case of human-to-animal transmission, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday.
An investigation is under way to determine the source of infection and strain of the virus, Newsom said, but in a separate interview, the zoo’s executive director told the Associated Press all eight gorillas in its habitat, which is located just north of San Diego in Escondido, are suspected to be infected.
“There is some question, did it come human to animal? That’s being determined, and one has to respect that process and the adjudication of the facts,” Newsom said during a Monday afternoon virtual news conference. “But nonetheless, that’s an area that’s long been of concern.”
Newsom said the situation was developing in “real-time,” with more information potentially by the end of the day.
“Our beloved gorillas, obviously, we are concerned about,” Newsom said. “The San Diego Zoo, (they’re) the best of the best.”
In a report published by the Associated Press soon thereafter, the zoo’s director said all eight gorillas in its habitat are suspected to be infected and that several had been coughing. The park’s director, Lisa Peterson, also told the AP the source of the outbreak is believed to be an employee who interacted with the gorillas but was asymptomatic and wearing a mask the entire time.
Under California’s regional stay-at-home order, the zoo has been closed the public since Dec. 6.
The gorillas were tested — via fecal sample — on Jan. 6 after two began coughing, Peterson told the AP.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it appears COVID-19 is transmissible from humans to animals “in some situations” but more research is required to understand how the virus affects different species. These are believed to be the first known cases among gorillas, one of our closest relatives, with whom humans share 98.4% of our DNA.
Scientists are closely monitoring how the apes respond to the virus, according to the AP, and they for now will remain in their habitat inside the park on a regimen of vitamins, fluid and food but no specific treatment for the virus.