Meanwhile, experts around the world fear the Covid-19 could wipe out the last great apes. NGOs Gorilla Doctors and FOUR PAWS International are fighting to avoid their contamination.
Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00We're actually very concerned about the potential impact of coronavirus on apes,
00:06both in captivity and in the wild.
00:08We have had multiple cases where human respiratory pathogens, things that just cause a common
00:32cold in people, have led to mortality events in wild apes.
00:37And this has happened in multiple species, in multiple countries.
00:42And we're concerned that we can have a similar phenomena with the novel coronavirus.
00:47And we also know that the great apes all share the same receptor that this virus is using
00:53to gain access to the human body.
00:56And so we know that they're susceptible in the same way.
00:58As far as we know, the majority of primates should be susceptible.
01:05And then there's lab evidence that some other mammal species are also susceptible.
01:10So the link to pangolins, for example.
01:13There's also evidence that species like ferrets may be susceptible.
01:18Really, what we know is based on where people have looked.
01:25Currently, we don't have any respiratory illness outbreaks occurring in the mountain gorillas,
01:34but it is something that we are vigilant for always.
01:37So right now, we are monitoring the gorillas closely.
01:41Our veterinarians are continuing to go in to do their work, because it's so important
01:44right now to be able to check on the health of all of the gorilla groups.
01:48They're essentially self-quarantining themselves at their ranger patrol posts, and then going
01:53in every day to the same gorilla group and coming back, and then they'll switch out.
01:57So the gorillas are very, very accustomed to having people nearby.
02:02And so it doesn't make them anxious.
02:06They're not scared of people.
02:07And that's what facilitates and allows for tourism.
02:18There are now 1,063 mountain gorillas in the world, and they all live in protected areas
02:26in national parks.
02:28The revenue that is generated when people come from around the world to see these habituated
02:34mountain gorillas up close, that money is absolutely essential to managing the parks
02:39and maintaining the staff in the parks that are protecting the animals and protecting
02:45the boundaries of the park, and really preventing that park from being used for other purposes.
02:57We do everything in our power to protect the orangutans from the coronavirus.
03:10All caregivers change into their uniforms, boots, and mouth masks when they arrive at work.
03:15We wash all orangutan food twice, once when it's delivered, and then again before we
03:22hand it out to the orangutans.
03:24We don't have any evidence of exposure yet, but as you know, with the human population,
03:31we're struggling to have enough test kits to be able to even know how many people are
03:37infected.
03:38And so it's very hard to get test kits developed, optimized, to be able to look at this in apes.