Zoos Take Steps to Prevent Animals from Getting the Coronavirus

American zoos are taking steps to protect their animals from catching¹ the new coronavirus from humans.

The steps include many of the same measures used to slow the spread of the virus in humans. These include social distancing and cleaning shared equipment.

Vaccines³ have also been used on animals. At the San Diego Zoo, a female orangutan became the first ape in the world to get a coronavirus vaccine² in January.

The vaccine was given after a group of gorillas⁵ started showing signs of infection and later tested positive for the coronavirus.

The orangutan, named Karen, received two shots of a vaccine made by Zoetis, a New Jersey⁶ company that manufactures drugs for animals.

Nine other primates⁸ at the San Diego Zoo have been fully⁹ vaccinated¹¹: five bonobos and four orangutans. Four more animals -- one bonobo and three gorillas -- got their first shots this month and will get a second in April.

Nadine Lamberski is the wildlife health officer for the San Diego Zoo. She told the Associated Press that zoo officials acted quickly to vaccinate¹⁰ the animals in an effort protect other great apes.

The outbreak was linked to a zookeeper who was infected but had no signs of the virus. Seven gorillas got minor¹² cases and recovered. But one older silverback gorilla⁴ developed the lung disease pneumonia¹³, likely caused by the virus, as well as heart disease. He was put on medicines and received an antibody treatment to block the virus from infecting cells.

About 36 zoos in the United States and other countries have placed orders for the Zoetis vaccine. It is meant to work on particular animal species.

"We will jump at the opportunity to get the Zoetis vaccine for our own great apes," said Oakland Zoo official Alex Herman. She is ordering 100 injections.

Zoetis got permission from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide the vaccines on an experimental basis to the San Diego Zoo. The company will need to seek the same permission to provide the shots to additional zoos.

Scientists believe the new coronavirus likely started in bats before jumping to humans. Now many researchers worry that humans may unknowingly infect other animal species.

Animal health experts say great apes such as gorillas are especially at risk of becoming infected. These animals share 98 percent of their DNA¹⁴ with humans. So far, confirmed coronavirus cases include gorillas, tigers and lions at zoos; domestic cats and dogs; farmed mink¹⁵, and at least one wild mink in Utah.

Scientists have also experimentally shown that ferrets, racoon dogs and white-tailed deer are at risk, although pigs and cows are not.

Another concern is that virus spread among other species could produce new versions, or variants¹⁷.

In Denmark, workers at a mink farm unknowingly infected the animals. As the coronavirus spread among the mink, it mutated and humans became infected with the new variant¹⁶. In an effort to control the situation, the government ordered millions of mink to be killed.

Scott Weese is a microbiologist at Ontario Veterinary College in Canada. He told the AP that "mutations happen when there's a lot of disease transfer going on between animals."

Since the outbreak, the San Diego Zoo has been using a lot of fans at its indoor primate⁷ areas to improve air flow. Zoo workers also wear face coverings and limit their time spent inside with the animals.

Words in This Story

primate – n. any member of the group of animals that includes human beings, apes, and monkeys

opportunity – n. a situation in which it is possible for someone to do something

domestic – adj. kept as a pet in the home

species – n. a group of animals or plants that are similar

mutate – v. to cause (a gene) to change and create an unusual characteristic in a plant or animal

transfer – v. to move from one individual to another

fan –n. a machine that is used to move air in rooms

1 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

2 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

3 vaccines   

疫苗，痘苗( vaccine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His team are at the forefront of scientific research into vaccines. 他的小组处于疫苗科研的最前沿。
• The vaccines were kept cool in refrigerators. 疫苗放在冰箱中冷藏。

4 gorilla   

n.大猩猩，暴徒，打手

参考例句：

• I was awed by the huge gorilla.那只大猩猩使我惊惧。
• A gorilla is just a speechless animal.猩猩只不过是一种不会说话的动物。

5 gorillas   

n.大猩猩( gorilla的名词复数 )；暴徒，打手

参考例句：

• the similitude between humans and gorillas 人类和大猩猩的相像
• Each family of gorillas is led by a great silverbacked patriarch. 每个大星星家族都由一个魁梧的、长着银色被毛的族长带领着。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 jersey   

n.运动衫

参考例句：

• He wears a cotton jersey when he plays football.他穿运动衫踢足球。
• They were dressed alike in blue jersey and knickers.他们穿着一致，都是蓝色的运动衫和灯笼短裤。

7 primate   

n.灵长类（目）动物，首席主教；adj.首要的

参考例句：

• 14 percent of primate species are highly endangered.14%的灵长类物种处于高度濒危状态。
• The woolly spider monkey is the largest primate in the Americas.绒毛蛛猴是美洲最大的灵长类动物。

8 primates   

primate的复数

参考例句：

• Primates are alert, inquisitive animals. 灵长目动物是机灵、好奇的动物。
• Consciousness or cerebration has been said to have emerged in the evolution of higher primates. 据说意识或思考在较高级灵长类的进化中已出现。

9 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

10 vaccinate   

vt.给…接种疫苗；种牛痘

参考例句：

• Local health officials then can plan the best times to vaccinate people.这样，当地的卫生官员就可以安排最佳时间给人们接种疫苗。
• Doctors vaccinate us so that we do not catch smallpox.医生给我们打预防针使我们不会得天花。

11 vaccinated   

[医]已接种的，种痘的，接种过疫菌的

参考例句：

• I was vaccinated against tetanus. 我接种了破伤风疫苗。
• Were you vaccinated against smallpox as a child? 你小时候打过天花疫苗吗？

12 minor   

adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修

参考例句：

• The young actor was given a minor part in the new play.年轻的男演员在这出新戏里被分派担任一个小角色。
• I gave him a minor share of my wealth.我把小部分财产给了他。

13 pneumonia   

n.肺炎

参考例句：

• Cage was struck with pneumonia in her youth.凯奇年轻时得过肺炎。
• Pneumonia carried him off last week.肺炎上星期夺去了他的生命。

14 DNA   

(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸

参考例句：

• DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
• Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。

15 mink   

n.貂，貂皮

参考例句：

• She was wearing a blue dress and a mink coat.她穿着一身蓝色的套装和一件貂皮大衣。
• He started a mink ranch and made a fortune in five years. 他开了个水貂养殖场，五年之内就赚了不少钱。

16 variant   

adj.不同的，变异的；n.变体，异体

参考例句：

• We give professional suggestions according to variant tanning stages for each customer.我们针对每位顾客不同的日晒阶段，提供强度适合的晒黑建议。
• In a variant of this approach,the tests are data- driven.这个方法的一个变种，是数据驱动的测试。

17 variants   

n.变体( variant的名词复数 )；变种；变型；（词等的）变体

参考例句：

• Those variants will be preserved in the'struggle for existence". 这些变异将在“生存竞争”中被保留下来。 来自辞典例句
• Like organisms, viruses have variants, generally called strains. 与其他生物一样，病毒也有变种，一般称之为株系。 来自辞典例句