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Zoo’s Covid-infected apes in good health 

20 Jul 2021

BY Buddhika Samaraweera  Although four apes at the Dehiwala Zoological Gardens were found to be infected with the Covid-19 virus, their behaviour remains unchanged indicating good health, according to the Wildlife Protection, the Adoption of Safety Measures including the Construction of Electrical Fences and Trenches and Reforestation and Forest Resource Development State Ministry.  It was recently reported that four apes at the Dehiwala Zoo had been identified with Covid-19 and that the zoo authorities had planned to conduct a second battery of tests to confirm as to whether in fact the animals had been infected with the virus.  The Wildlife Protection, the Adoption of Safety Measures including the Construction of Electrical Fences and Trenches and Reforestation and Forest Resource Development State Minister Wimalaweera Dissanayake had also told the media that following the receipt of a report regarding the infections, he had instructed veterinarians to confirm as to whether the animals in question had in fact been infected.  However, when contacted by The Morning, the Wildlife Protection, the Adoption of Safety Measures including the Construction of Electrical Fences and Trenches and Reforestation and Forest Resource Development State Ministry Secretary, (Rtd.) Maj. Gen. Palitha Fernando said that the said animals’ behaviour had not undergone any changes.  Recently, Dissanayake had also told the media that there was information that the animals were observed to be healthy and did not show any signs of illness.  Previously, the National Zoological Gardens Department Director General Ishini Wickramasinghe had stated on 18 June that a lion named Thor at the Dehiwala Zoo had contracted Covid-19. According to Wickramasinghe, Thor had first undergone a rapid antigen test, which tested negative, and then a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which had revealed that the lion had been infected with the virus. Also, a lioness named Sheena in the Dehiwala Zoo had also contracted Covid- 19 late last month while it was residing with the Covid-19 positive lion Thor.  Several attempts to contact Wickramasinghe and the National Zoological Gardens Department Deputy Director General Renuka Bandaranayake to inquire about the matter were unsuccessful.  The scientific literature reveals that while humans can transmit the virus to animals, the vice versa does not take place.


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