Last year, a handful of zoos reported cases of COVID-19 appearing in their big cats. This year, we have our first documented cases of Coronavirus in great apes, with several gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park testing positive for the virus. Being our closest relatives, it makes sense that apes such as gorillas would prove susceptible to the disease. I guess this was really more of a "when" than an "if" situation.
The fact that we've made it a year into the pandemic before an ape came down with COVID is a testament to the precautions that keepers take when working with apes, usually already wearing PPE and staying home when sick. Unfortunately, as we've seen, Coronavirus often presents itself asymptomatically, so it can be hard to determine if a staff member has it or not. Testing and contact tracing still aren't were they need to be, and the vaccine rollout progresses slowly.
Thankfully, the symptoms displayed by the animals are mild and, as with the tigers, lions, and snow leopards at other zoos in the US, these animals are expected to recover fully.
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