A gorilla has been tested for coronavirus after developing a fever because of wounds picked up in a fight with his brother according to a report by The Mirror.
Shango, 31, a 433-pound ape who lives at Zoo Miami, was treated at an animal hospital on Wednesday after the scuffle with Barney, 26, which left him with several injuries including a deep bite.
Photos show the patient sedated and strapped to a treatment table while a medic uses a swab to take a sample from inside his nose, with the result coming back negative.
A TB test and bronchoscopy were also undertaken, as were X-rays, vaccinations, and an ultrasound.
The Covid-19 test was administered as a precaution after a low-grade fever was detected. The two brothers were transferred to Miami in May 2017, having been born at San Francisco Zoo, and live together in the gorilla habitat.
Confrontations between male gorillas are common but usually consist of posturing rather than serious injuries in the report by The Mirror.
However, staff noticed Shango was being very cautious over his arm following the fight and so was immobilised for closer examination.
The wounds were cleaned and treated, with the primate having not suffered any bone breaks and recovered well from the anesthesia.
Zoo officials said the lowland gorilla’s bite wounds were “quite deep”, but “fortunately did not appear to result in any permanent damage”.
Shango will continue to be monitored but no decision as to when he will be re-introduced to Barney has yet been made. The meeting between the two will depend on “behavioral assessments made by the staff combined with the healing progress of his injuries”.
Female Malayan tiger Nadia, four, is believed to have been the first animal to test positive for the virus in the US. It was infected by an asymptomatic zookeeper in April.
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