New Delhi: The Buin Zoo on the outskirts of the Chilean capital Santiago is administering an experimental Covid-19 vaccine to its 10 most susceptible animals, Reuters reported. On Monday, the experimental formula, donated by global animal health company Zoetis Inc, was tested on lions, tigers, pumas, and even an Orangutan.
A video posted on Twitter shows how the vaccines were administered to the animals. A veterinarian wearing a tiger-striped face mask could be seen administering an experimental Covid-19 vaccine to a tiger in a cage, while another worker was feeding it chunks of raw meat using a pair of long tongs.
"We are using an experimental vaccine that will yield short-term results that will in turn allow us to develop a vaccine that is not on the market today," zoo director Ignacio Idalsoaga was quoted as saying.
He added that these are the first doses being produced worldwide, which will enable scientific accuracy and later allow mass production to protect every animal from the deadly virus in zoos like theirs.
After the Buin Zoo authorities learnt that animals were susceptible to the Covid-19 virus like humans, the zoo started to search for ways to keep the animals safe, the report said.
Great Felines, Apes Susceptible To SARS-CoV-2
Idalsoaga said they got the first clue from Gorillas in a San Diego zoo. The great felines are the most susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Zoetis donated 20 doses of the experimental vaccine to the Buin Zoo, which the authorities used on the great felines.
The director said the zoo was vaccinating three tigers, three lions, three pumas, and one orangutan, because great apes are also susceptible to the virus.
Cristian Dunivicher, an animal technician with Zoetis, said the company is testing the vaccine in different zoos, mainly in the United States. The company had conducted and published research on dogs and cats last year.
The risk of animals spreading the coronavirus to people is low, but the virus can spread from people to animals during close contact, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.