WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th January, 2021) Gorillas at a California safari park run by the San Diego Zoo have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the first confirmed case of such an infection, the zoo authorities announced in a news release on Monday.
"Members of the Gorilla Troop at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19," the release said.
The San Diego Zoo authorities said that two of the gorillas began coughing last Wednesday, prompting them to initiate the process of testing fecal samples at the California Animal Health and food Safety Laboratory System.
"On January 8, the preliminary tests detected the presence of the virus in the gorilla troop. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) confirmed the positive results on Monday," the release said.
The test results confirmed the presence of the novel coronavirus in some of the gorillas and do not rule out that the virus may be present in other members of the troop, the release added.
