Zoo Atlanta: Positive Virus Tests Among Gorilla Population

Several members of a group of western lowland gorillas at Zoo Atlanta have tested positive for the coronavirus after trainers observed a lot of the great apes were displaying symptoms of moderate coughing, drippy noses as well as a bit of loss of appetite, the zoo stated Friday.

Zoo Atlanta’s animal handlers gathered fecal samples and nasal and oral swabs from the gorillas and sent out the samples to a diagnostic laboratory at the University of Georgia, which returned hypothetical positive results for the virus behind COVID-19, a Zoo Atlanta statement claimed.

The zoo included that it was waiting to verify the test results from the National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa, which also got samples.

The statement didn’t say the number of the gorillas appeared to be infected, yet the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported 13 gorillas had tested positive for the virus.

The zoo statement stated that its teams are collecting samples for testing from the zoo’s entire gorilla population, with 20 members staying in 4 troops. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution report said members from each of the four groups showed indication of infection.

The newspaper report claimed it is likely that the virus made its method right into the gorilla populace from an animal care staffer that was asymptomatic upon showing up to function, yet that later tested positive for the virus.

Originally published on Phys.org. Read the original article.