The Buin Zoological Garden, in Chile, has launched a unique experimental program in Latin America that provides for the vaccination of some animals, especially those at risk of extinction, against Covid-19.
Ten guests of the park, one of the largest in South America, have already received the third dose: three lions, three tigers, three pumas and Sandai, a 26-year-old Bornean orangutan. According to numerous zoological studies, monkeys and big cats are particularly at risk of getting sick from Covid-19.
“Sandai is a unique specimen in South America, with an important reproductive potential for the species and this led us to decide to immunize it”, he explained to France Presse. Ignacio Idalsoaga, veterinarian and director of the zoo.
The first dose of the vaccine was given to the animals on 13 December and the second on 3 January.
Covid, when the victims are wild animals
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“The reaction has been quite positive,” he noted Sebastiàn Celis, head of the zoo’s veterinary department, “there was no adverse reaction such as malaise, aggression, loss of appetite or nausea, no visible signs that made us suspect that any of the vaccinated animals suffered an adverse reaction.”
While no positive cases were detected in the Buin zoo, six African lions, a Sumatran tiger and two Siberian tigers were infected with Covid-19 in the United States in the middle of this year. Zoo staff observed decreased appetite, coughing, sneezing, and lethargy in felids.
Previously, gorillas from the Atlanta Zoo had fallen ill with Covid. The vaccine used is an experimental drug designed specifically for animals and already used in the San Diego Zoo.
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