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Vaccinating animals against Covid is what several zoos around the world are doing as part of an experimental program. A US veterinary lab, Zoetis, began developing a vaccine after several gorillas and tigers contracted the virus in captivity, likely through contact with sick caregivers. And in Latin America, the first and, so far, the only zoo to participate in the clinical trial is in the suburbs of Santiago. Ten animals received their second dose of vaccine on Monday January 3.
With our correspondent in Santiago, Justine Fontaine
The one greeted by the zoo director is Charly, a Bengal tiger who was probably trafficked in the past. From the top of its 200 kilograms, it yawns and rolls around in a cage attached to its enclosure. Zoo teams made sure to avoid general anesthesia to vaccinate him on Monday, January 3.
Ignacio Idalsoaga, the director, shows how the three-and-a-half-year-old tiger is trained to get vaccinated without too much stress: “ He is asked to come to this corner, rewarding him with pieces of meat. And on the side, we give him the bite. Then we get him to place his tail there to take a blood sample. »
No side effects at the moment
The exercise was repeated with other tigers, pumas, lions and a 26-year-old orangutan called Sandai. It is an endangered species and Sandai is the only Bornean orangutan found in South America. It is therefore all the more important, for the zoo, to keep it in good health, especially for its genetic heritage.
« In the United States, the cases of Covid that could be observed in zoos involved big cats and great apes, explains Sebastian Celis, chief veterinarian at Buin zoo. The goal is to prevent caregivers or other people from transmitting the coronavirus to our animals. »
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The healers have not observed any side effects so far. It should be known at the end of the year whether the vaccine is safe and effective in animals.
This experimental vaccine uses a technique similar to that of certain vaccines against Covid in humans, but with different adjuvants. The serum has also been inoculated into animals at several other zoos around the world, including the United States.
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