The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute vaccinated several of their primates against COVID-19 this week, saying it was just the beginning of animal coronavirus …
The Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute vaccinated several of their primates against COVID-19 this week, saying it was just the beginning of animal coronavirus inoculations at its locations. The zoo announced in a press release Friday that staff administered the first round of two-dose shots to 11 animals on Wednesday: seven orangutans, a western lowland gorilla, one white-eared titi monkey and two emperor tamarins. A video posted by the zoo noted that the “animals were rewarded with honey for their participation.” The vaccine used was developed specifically for animals by Michigan-based veterinary pharmaceutical company Zoetis after the company saw that a dog in China contracted the virus early in the pandemic.
