Phoenix Zoo COVID-free
How Phoenix Zoo protects animals from COVID-19
None of the 3,000 animals at the zoo have shown any symptoms of the coronavirus thanks to strong precautionary measures among staff members.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been disrupting life since last March, but there have been no cases of the new coronavirus among the 3,000 animals at Phoenix Zoo, according to the staff there.
“I’m going to knock on wood here, but we haven’t had a lot of suspicious cases or any worry” about an animal contracting the virus, Dr. Gary West, the zoo’s executive vice president of animal health and living collections, told The Arizona Republic.
Behind the scenes, zoo staff members have layered on personal protective equipment and reduced their interactions with the animals they care for while closely monitoring for unusual symptoms.
Mary Yoder, a primate manager at the zoo, said the animals “seem to be handling it well.”
“This is their new normal,” she said. “Animals are so resilient, so once you change their new routine it takes them a little bit, but … they’re super adaptable.”
Phoenix Zoo’s COVID-19 precautions
Phoenix Zoo was closed to the public for nearly half of 2020 due to the pandemic. It shut down from March to June and July through mid-September. It reopened with measures to help keep people and animals safe.
In December, the zoo mandated that face coverings be worn at all times because with its previous “conditional face covering requirements,” according to the zoo’s website, “many of our guests are not consistently complying with these rules.”
And some of the experiences, including the Giraffe Encounter, Monkey Village Walk-Thru and inside viewing of the Orangutan Bilik, remain closed for safety reasons.
“Part of that is just so it doesn’t get congested with crowds in an outdoor space,” West said. “(We are) also just cutting down the amount of people around orangutans, around the surfaces that potentially could spread (the virus), although, you know, it’s glass and it’s all closed.”
The squirrel monkeys have apparently adapted to the closure of the Monkey Village Walk-Thru, which is still visible from the upper viewing area, Yoder said.
“It’s interesting how the monkeys just go up pathways now and they go out and watch humans from the outside,” she said.
As for the orangutans, “they can still see people through the glass, and they have definitely been very happy the zoo has opened back up,” Yoder said.
How zoo prevents transmission of COVID-19 to animals
West admits that “we don’t know a ton about the disease in animals.” But that doesn’t deter the zoo’s staff from implementing new measures intended to keep the animals safe.
West oversees the animals’ health and works with veterinary staff, the living collections department — which includes animals, their keepers and the horticulturists — and nutrition services.
To prevent transmission of COVID-19 among staff as well as from humans to animals, Phoenix Zoo staff members self-screen for symptoms. Schedules are staggered so the entire staff is not compromised if someone is exposed to COVID-19.
“Everybody’s required to report any abnormalities that might be COVID-related symptoms since that is definitely the biggest concern right now,” West said.
Personal protective gear and protective measures for keepers have been “enhanced” during the pandemic, he said. Staff who prepare animals’ meals, for example, wear masks, face shields and gloves to reduce the possibility of transmission through food.
There was concern about a possible COVID-19 case in a black-footed ferret, which is an endangered species in the zoo’s conservation program, West said.
“(It) had some nasal discharge and respiratory signs, I believe, in September,” he said. “And we did test that animal, which turned out to be negative.”
Caring for big apes during the pandemic
PPE use has always been important while working with primates.
“Being closely related to human beings, we’re always worried about diseases kind of jumping from animals or from primates to humans,” West said. “(For) our orangutans, our squirrel monkeys, our spider monkeys and all of our other primates, the keepers in those areas always wear masks and gloves (when) working directly with those animals.”
The keepers, who are accustomed to the animals’ temperaments and normal behaviors, alert veterinary staff if they observe any abnormalities. If the symptoms are consistent with those caused by the new coronavirus, an animal will undergo testing.
Some animals have allergies and regularly sneeze or have runny noses. Some red flags for primates without allergies, Yoder said, are wheezing, coughing, weepy eyes and a runny nose. If they are hunched over or lying on their side, they are not feeling well; if they bring their legs up, they could have an upset stomach.
“Body posture is a big one,” Yoder said. But “primates can be really good at hiding symptoms.”
If an animal presents these behaviors, staff would conduct blood work and check the white blood cell count to see if the animal has an infection.
Yoder maintains at least 6 feet, “if possible,” from the animals she works with. While caring for the primates, she wears a surgical mask all day and gloves that she changes after every interaction, disinfects her shoes frequently and “constantly” washes her hands.
The primates’ keepers have had to eliminate “as much hand feeding as possible, except if we’re medicating,” she said.
“So far, everyone has been healthy,” she said. “There have been no signs that would make us think that any of the animals have (COVID-19).”
Other zoos’ animals have tested positive
Since the start of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, news about cats and dogs, tigers and gorillas testing positive for the coronavirus has made headlines.
According to a Q&A from the World Organisation for Animal Health referenced by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a number of species, but not all, are susceptible to transmission. The list of those with “high” susceptibility to infection includes ferrets, cats, marmosets and rabbits.
“Several animal species have demonstrated susceptibility to the virus through experimental infection, and in natural settings when in contact with infected humans,” the website reads. “There is also evidence that infected animals can transmit the virus to other animals in natural settings through contact.”
In December, the Louisville Zoo said a female snow leopard tested positive for the new coronavirus. This was the first known COVID-19 case in a snow leopard, according to the zoo.
On Jan. 11, San Diego Zoo Safari Park said its gorillas had tested positive for COVID-19 — the first cases in great apes, according to the zoo. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported an asymptomatic staff member who tested positive might have transmitted the virus.
“Zoos have always been very, very good with masks and gloves and worrying about zoonotic diseases because of the flu and other things that we could spread to (animals),” West said. A zoonotic disease is “caused by germs that spread between animals and people,” according to the CDC.
“So it’s a little worrisome that the gorillas caught it from people because I know that they’ve always practiced very safely and using appropriate PPE around great apes (at San Diego Zoo),” West said.
West said this shows the importance of maintaining social distance while working with animals.
“My feeling is the saving grace, at least for veterinarians and for zoos and for wildlife and conservation, (is) it appears that animals don’t get as severely ill,” West said.
He continued, “Most of the big cats and the primates and the ferrets that I’ve heard of clinical cases in have had mild illness. And it sounds like the gorillas do some coughing, but they’re still eating and drinking and doing their normal things.”
‘It’s probably harder on us than it is on them’
Reducing contact with the primates she works with has meant interacting with them through glass and changing their enrichment activities, Yoder said.
“We’ve been doing a lot through the glass windows. We’ll sit next to them, show them pictures. They come up and they’ll engage with us,” Yoder said of the orangutans. “It’s probably harder on us than it is on them, honestly.”
Through enrichment, Yoder and her colleagues promote orangutans’ natural behaviors. Now, their activities “don’t involve our presence,” she said, and include giving them tools and more opportunities to play with each other.
“They used to interact with the public so much,” she said. “They do have to play a lot more with each other, which has actually been great to see. (For example) we see increased grooming.”
Prior to the pandemic, she would help the orangutans play on iPads. That is now risky since she would have to be in close contact with an orangutan and hold up the device.
Yoder continues to offer human interaction whenever it is safe. Sometimes, she has lunch by the orangutans’ exhibit.
“They want to check and see what we’re eating,” she said.
Overall, Yoder said, they seem happy. She can tell by their facial expressions and the fact that they exhibit natural behaviors such as foraging and interacting with each other.
“They’re very social animals,” she said. “That’s why we want to make sure we’re meeting all their needs — emotional, physical and mental.”
‘I’m ready to do what I need to do to take care of them’
Because each position is so specialized, the animals’ care would suffer if more than one member of a team has to stay home due to COVID-19 symptoms or possible exposure. When someone is quarantining, however, other staff members work overtime to prevent a lapse in care, West said.
“They say, ‘We’re here for the animals. I’m ready to do what I need to do to take care of them,’” he said.
Yoder is one of two primate keepers and they have to keep their distance from each other. If one of them tests positive for the coronavirus and they had been in contact with each other, both would be unable to care for the animals.
“We need to stay apart, take separate (golf) carts and work separately instead of in tandem with people,” she said.
“We’re always worried about the animals, but probably my biggest worry is having multiple staff out in an area and expertise that takes care of the animals,” West said. “I know a lot about animals, but I don’t know that I could just step in and take care of an elephant tomorrow and be safe.”