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Officials said Friday they were waiting to confirm the diagnosis after sending test samples to the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.
The animals were tested after employees saw some of them cough, have a runny nose and show changes in appetite. Tests by the Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Georgia have yielded presumably positive results for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19.
Affected gorillas are being treated with monoclonal antibodies and samples from the entire gorilla population at the zoo have been taken for testing, the statement said. The zoo plans to continue testing the animals regularly.
“The teams are monitoring the affected gorillas very closely and hope they will make a full recovery,” said Sam Rivera, senior director of animal health. “They are receiving the best possible care, and we are ready to provide additional supportive care if necessary.”
Zoo officials said they were not sure exactly how the gorillas got infected. They said the virus could have been transmitted to animals by a fully vaccinated, asymptomatic, Covid-positive employee who was wearing personal protective equipment (PPE), which is common practice when working with great apes, a indicated the release.
“Although humans are known to be able to transmit the virus to animals such as gorillas, and these cases have occurred in other zoos, there is currently no data to suggest that zoo animals can transmit. the virus to humans, “the statement said. “Either way, visitors to the Atlanta Zoo do not pose a transmission threat to gorillas or vice versa given the distance between areas used by guests and animal habitats.”
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Georgia State Veterinarian have cleared the Atlanta Zoo to use a vaccine developed specifically for animals, and gorillas will receive the vaccine once they recover. . For now, the zoo plans to vaccinate its populations of “Borneo and Sumatran orangutans, Sumatran tigers, African lions and cloudy leopards,” the statement said.
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