Gorillas Test Positive For COVID-19 At Zoo Atlanta

ATLANTA, GA — Zoo Atlanta said Friday that several of their lowland gorillas have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Zoo's animal care and veterinary teams believe the gorillas may have contracted the virus from a team member who had COVID.

"The team member is fully vaccinated, was wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), and was asymptomatic on the day of reporting to work," the Zoo said.

Members of the gorilla's care team noticed several gorillas coughing, having nasal discharge, and experiencing minor appetite changes. The zoo's animal care and veterinary teams took nasal and oral swab samples, as well as fecal samples, and sent them to the Athens Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Georgia. The tests came back presumptively positive, the Zoo says.

"While humans are known to be able to transmit the virus to animals such as gorillas, and these cases have occurred at other zoos, there is currently no data to suggest that zoo animals can transmit the virus to humans," the Zoo said in a Facebook post. "Regardless, Zoo Atlanta visitors do not pose a transmission threat to the gorillas or vice versa given the distance between the areas used by guests and the animals’ habitats."

The Zoo is testing the entire gorilla population for the virus.