Gorillas at San Diego Zoo Safari Park test positive for COVID-19

A gorilla at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.
(Image credit: Facebook/San Diego Zoo Safari Park)

Two gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park have tested positive for COVID-19, and it's believed they caught the virus from an asymptomatic staff member.

This is the first known instance of COVID-19 being naturally transmitted to apes, Fox 5 San Diego reports. In a press release, San Diego Zoo Global said the two gorillas were tested last Wednesday after they started coughing, and preliminary tests came back positive. The results were confirmed on Monday by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Veterinary Services Laboratories. A third gorilla is now symptomatic.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.