Tourists could spread the virus causing COVID-19 to wild mountain gorillas by taking selfies with the animals

Tourists could spread the virus causing COVID-19 to wild mountain gorillas by taking selfies with the animals without taking precautions. Researchers at the University of Oxford Brookes examined nearly 1,000 Instagram posts and found that most tourists hiking with gorillas were close enough to the animals, without face masks, to allow the transmission of viruses and disease. .

Looking at photos of people visiting mountain gorillas in East Africa, senior author and former primate conservation student at Oxford Brookes University, Gaspard Van Hamme, said: “The risk of Transmission of disease between visitors and gorillas is of great concern. It is vital that we strengthen and enforce visitation regulations. to ensure that gorilla trekking practices do not further threaten these already endangered great apes. “

In January 2021, captive gorillas at the San Diego Zoo tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, proving that the current pandemic can also affect great apes. Photos of tourists examined for this research revealed that people were close enough to the animals that disease transmission was possible.

The importance of wearing face masks

Dr Magdalena Svensson, Lecturer in Biological Anthropology at the University of Oxford Brookes, added: “In the photos we analyzed, we found that face masks were rarely worn by tourists visiting gorillas and that could cause disease transmission between people and the gorillas they visit. With people all over the world getting used to wearing face masks more and more, we hope that in the future wearing masks will become a common practice in gorilla trekking. “

Gorilla numbers in the balance

Mountain gorillas are endemic to the East African region. They are present in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Virunga National Park), Uganda (Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park) and Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park). In recent decades, these populations have suffered from the adverse effects of human activities, but in recent years the number of gorillas has started to increase and it is now estimated that there are 1063 individuals.

Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka of Conservation Through Public Health, Uganda, said: “This research provides valuable insight into tourists’ willingness to share their too close encounters with mountain gorillas via Instagram, which creates expectations for tourists. future tourists. a great need for responsible tourism to provide adequate protection while minimizing disease transmission, especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic. “

Tourism: environment and wildlife

Trekking is an important financial support for the conservation of mountain gorillas. But large numbers of visitors can have an impact on wildlife and the environment – guidelines to mitigate them include maintaining a minimum distance of 7 meters between visitors and gorillas. The Oxford Brookes study shows that these guidelines are not being properly followed and applied.

Russell A. Mittermeier, chair of the IUCN / SSC Primate Specialist Group, who was not involved in the study, said: “It has become evident in recent years that studies of the spread of anthroponotic diseases and zoonotics are crucial to the primate field. With that in mind, it is very exciting to see new research on this topic from the Primate Conservation Group at the University of Oxford Brookes. Although this study has focused on one species , the mountain gorilla, the lessons learned are also applicable to many other primate species that are increasingly in contact with humans. This line of research will certainly become more important in the future. “

The research paper “Keep Your Distance: Using Instagram Posts to Assess the Risk of Anthroponotic Disease Transmission in Gorilla Ecotourism” is published in People and nature.

Provided by the University of Oxford Brookes