SARS-CoV-2 & COVID-19

• Statement on great apes, COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 PDF in English

Déclaration sur les grands singes, le COVID-19 et le SRAS-CoV-2 PDF en français

Bahasa Indonesia statement on great apes, COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2 PDF in Indonesian

Declaración de grandes simios, COVID-19 y el SARS-CoV-2 PDF in Spanish

• Advisory for conservation field teams operating in great ape habitats PDF in English

Avis aux équipes de conservation opérant dans l'habitat des grands singes PDF en français

• Advisory for extractive projects operating in great ape habitats during the COVID-19 pandemic (in English, French & Bahasa Indonesia), please click here 

IUCN SSC Primate Specialist Group statement on great apes, COVID-19 and SARS-CoV-2

The purpose of this advisory is to update great ape site managers, researchers, tourism operators and others about the known risks posed to great apes by the SARS CoV-2 virus, and to recommend measures for minimizing the risk of SARS CoV-2 transmission to great apes.

SARS-CoV-2 AND GREAT APES

It can now be clearly stated that great apes are susceptible to SARS CoV-2 infection. In January 2021, a captive troop of eight western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla) at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance (SDZWA) was diagnosed with COVID-19, confirmed positive based on PCR tests. Infection occurred through exposure to a gorilla keeper who was infected with SARS CoV-2 but not yet clinically symptomatic at the time of exposure. All eight gorillas exhibited intermittent clinical signs of respiratory illness, which were mild to moderate in all gorillas but one. Clinical signs in a geriatric male gorilla (48 years old) were more severe, and it was the judgement of SDZWA veterinarians that his illness warranted examination under anaesthesia to enable comprehensive diagnostic assessment and supportive care. He responded well to treatment, and the other seven gorillas recovered on their own.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR MINIMIZING THE RISK OF SARS CoV-2 TRANSMISSION TO WILD GREAT APES

The most effective measure for preventing the introduction of SARS CoV-2 to wild great apes from humans is to limit all contact, and limit the potential for aerosol spread among great apes and infected or potentially-infected people. For all individuals coming within close proximity of great apes, great ape visitation rules need to be strictly enforced at all sites.

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

❖     Strict maintenance of a distance of at least 7 meters from great apes when wearing a face mask; a minimum distance of 10 meters between humans and great apes at all times is strongly advised if not wearing a face mask.

❖     Assurance that no person (park staff, researcher, tourist, etc.) exhibiting or reporting any signs of illness is allowed to visit great apes.

❖     Assurance that no person (park staff, researcher, tourist, etc.) who has been in contact with anybody diagnosed with COVID-19 in the preceding 14 days is allowed to visit great apes.

❖     Require a 10-day quarantine for all people arriving from outside the country who will come into frequent (daily) or longer-term (>1 hour) close proximity with wild great apes (e.g., protected area personnel, veterinarians, researchers, film crews), together with at least one negative COVID-19 test administered on Day 8 or 9. Clinical signs of COVID-19 and/or a positive COVID-19 test during quarantine should trigger mandatory isolation and medical attention.

ADDITIONAL BEST PRACTICES listed in IUCN Best Practice Guidelines for Health Monitoring and Disease Control in Great Ape Populations identify the following further considerations:

❖     Respiratory hygiene – reinforce instructions that people who need to sneeze or cough should cover their mouths and noses with the crook of their elbows rather than their hands; if they need to sneeze or cough they should immediately leave the area and not return.

❖     Hand hygiene – provide and use hand-washing facilities and supplies for all individuals entering protected areas or other great ape sites;

❖     Field clothes hygiene – ensure that all individuals coming into proximity of great apes are wearing clean, dedicated clothing and disinfect footwear prior to park entry.

❖     Waste hygiene – ensure that defecation and urination by individuals occurs at least 100 meters away from great apes: faeces should either be carried out of great ape habitat, or be buried in a minimum 30 cm-deep hole to minimize the potential for direct contact by great apes.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMATIC CONSIDERATIONS for preventing transmission of SARS CoV-2 to wild great apes, where governments permit and resources allow, include:

❖      Routine COVID-19 surveillance and testing of personnel (e.g., protected area, research, veterinary, tourism/hospitality).

❖      Anyone testing positive should isolate at a location away from colleagues and the protected area and seek immediate medical attention.

❖      Anyone with exposure to a test-positive individual in the last 48 hours should quarantine at a location away from colleagues and the protected area for at least 10 days; individuals should seek COVID-19 testing at least once during quarantine period.

❖      Great ape tourists should be required to show either proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID-19 PCR test conducted within 48 hours of visiting the great ape site, and at least 72 hours after disembarking an international flight.

❖      COVID-19 vaccination will provide protection against COVID-19, while the protection measures described above remain critical for preventing transmission of other infectious diseases and should not be relaxed.

In closing, strict adherence to best practices for great ape disease prevention and great ape tourism is a critical and effective barrier to transmission of SARS CoV-2 to wild great apes. As additional prevention measures (vaccines) become increasingly available, sites should advocate for vaccination requirements for all individuals coming into close proximity of great apes, including tourists.

For the full recommendations for disease prevention in great ape populations, and tourism with great apes, please download:

Finally, given that the health of humans, other animals and the environment are inextricably linked, and recognizing that it may not be possible to implement all guidelines at all sites, we urge practitioners to adopt a One Health approach (https://www.cdc.gov/onehealth/basics/index.html).

For more information about SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19, please visit the Non Human Primate COVID-19 Information Hub, which is a tool for managing situations with active COVID. From FAQs, to technical guidance and important links to further information aimed at helping define and mitigate risk https://umnadvet.instructure.com/courses/324

For advice specific to tourism with orangutans, guidelines have been produced by the Green Hill project in North Sumatra. These guidelines (which have not been endorsed by the IUCN SSC Primate Speclalist Group) can be downloaded here: https://www.greenhillbukitlawang.com/covid-19-safe-trekking