SAN DIEGO – The San Diego Zoo has vaccinated nine great apes for the coronavirus after a troop of gorillas in its Safari Park became infected, officials said Thursday.
Four orangutans and five bonobos received COVID-19 injections in January and February. Three bonobos and a gorilla also were expected to receive the vaccine, which is experimental.
It was developed by Zoetis Inc., a U.S. firm that produces medicine for animals. The vaccinations followed a January outbreak of COVID-19 at the zoo's Safari Park.
Eight western lowland gorillas got the virus, probably by exposure to a zookeeper who tested positive for COVID-19, officials said, even though employees work masks at all times around the gorillas. “That made us realize that our other