 Zoo
in Chile tests experimental COVID vaccine on lions and tigers
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[December 16, 2021]
By Rodrigo Gutierrez and Gerardo Gomez
(Reuters) - At the Buin Zoo on the
outskirts of Chilean capital Santiago, a veterinarian sporting a
tiger-striped face mask administers an experimental COVID-19 vaccine to
a tiger in a cage, as another zoo worker feeds the animal chunks of raw
meat via a pair of long tongs.
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 The Buin Zoo, like others around the world, is looking to keep its
animals safe from the coronavirus. It is administering an
experimental formula donated by global animal health company Zoetis
Inc to its 10 most susceptible animals, zoo director Ignacio
Idalsoaga said.
On Monday, lions, tigers, pumas and even an orangutan received the
vaccine.
"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," Idalsoaga said.
"These are the first doses being produced worldwide, which will
enable scientific accuracy and later allow mass production to
protect every animal from this deadly virus in zoos like ours."
The Buin Zoo began searching for ways to keep its animals safe after
learning that they - like people - were susceptible to the
coronavirus.
"We got the first clue from gorillas in San Diego (zoo)," Idalsoaga
said. The Buin Zoo contacted Zoetis, which donated 20 doses that the
Chilean zoo on Monday used on animals that are the most susceptible:
the great felines.
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 "We are vaccinating three
tigers, three lions, three pumas and our
orangutan, because great apes are also
susceptible to this," he said.
After conducting and publishing research on dogs
and cats last year, Zoetis is testing the
vaccine in different zoos, mainly in the United
States, said Cristian Dunivicher, an animal
technician with Zoetis.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, the risk of animals
spreading the coronavirus to people is low, but
the virus can spread from people to animals
during close contact.
(Reporting by Rodrigo Gutierrez and Gerardo
Gomez; Writing by Leslie Adler; Editing by
Rosalba O'Brien)
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