Two gorillas living in captivity at the San Diego Zoo in the US state of California tested positive for\u00a0COVID-19, with several more\u00a0exhibiting symptoms,\u00a0California Governor Gavin Newsom said Monday.<\/p>\n
Newsom said the source of infection is still being investigated, as it is unclear how\u00a0the virus was transmitted to the apes.<\/p>\n
The two positive cases are believed to the first COVID-19 infections reported among non-human primates in captivity anywhere in the world. Other wildlife that are known to have contracted the virus include\u00a0lions,\u00a0tigers\u00a0and\u00a0minks\u00a0.<\/p>\n
San Diego Zoo Director\u00a0Lisa Peterson told the Associated Press that eight gorillas living together at the park are now thought to be infected, and are showing symptoms including coughing.<\/p>\n
Peterson added that a possible source of the infection could have been a member of the zoo’s wildlife care team, who had tested positive for COVID-19 but was asymptomatic.<\/p>\n
Veterinarians are monitoring the gorilla’s condition and behavior, and the animals will receive fluids and food but no\u00a0\u00a0specific treatment for the virus. The zoo said it is working closely with experts in treating the coronavirus in humans, in case the gorillas develop severe symptoms.<\/p>\n
“This is wildlife, and they have their own resiliency and can heal differently than we do,” Peterson said, adding that for now the<\/p>\n
focus is to keep the primates\u00a0“healthy and thriving.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Two gorillas living in captivity at the San Diego Zoo in the US state of<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1369,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1368","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"yoast_head":"\n