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| On the 10th (local time), gorillas live at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in the Escondido area of San Diego, California, USA. (AP-Alliance) |
The Washington Post (WP), Reuters, and the Associated Press reported on the 11th (local time) that three gorillas were confirmed to have a novel coronavirus infection (Corona 19) at a zoo in California, USA.
There have been several reports of cases where animals such as dogs, cats, and mink have contracted Corona 19, but this time, a case of infection of a gorilla, a primate with a biological structure similar to humans, was confirmed for the first time in the United States.
The Associated Press reported, “This is the first case of corona infection by an ape in the United States, and probably the first in the world.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said two gorillas showed coughing symptoms at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park in the Escondido area of San Diego County. .
The zoo said that a total of eight gorillas had been living together, and there is a possibility that the number of infected gorillas will increase further.
Earlier, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that two gorillas were confirmed to have Corona 19, and that they are tracking the infection route to determine if they have been transferred from humans.
The Associated Press reported that the zoo was closed from the 6th of last month due to restrictions on movement in California, and an employee of the zoo’s wildlife protection team infected with Corona 19 appears to have spread the virus to gorillas.
However, the employee was asymptomatic and always wore a mask when around the gorilla, AP added.
WP reported that a total of 119 animals, including dogs, cats, mink, lions, and tigers, were tested positive for Corona 19 in the United States as of November last year, and are estimated to have been in close contact with humans with the virus. ()
