CARING FOR CRITTERS DURING A PANDEMIC
Duke the bunny washes his paws in front of a display filled with fish as a digital clock ticks in the corner of the screen. He does so “for 20 seconds before touching his face,” reads the caption on the Virginia Aquarium Instagram video, a nod at federal recommendations for human handwashing.
“Be like Duke.”
Gizmo the opossum also gets a turn in the social media limelight, taking in the sights of the Red Sea
Tunnel. Leashed zebu cattle roam empty grounds at the Virginia Zoo. Skunks get a tour of the Virginia Living Museum’s habitarium.
While the facilities are closed to human visitors during the pandemic, some animals are getting to explore parts unknown.
It’s one of several changes while staff continues to care for creatures large and small.
“We know what the essential tasks are because it is kind of life or death,” said Chris Crippen,
senior director of conservation and animal welfare at the living museum in Newport News. Basic care, such as feeding and cleaning, are ongoing. “It’s the human part that’s changed.”
Many modifications are for the staffs’ safety. At all three locations, workers are now using personal protective equipment — masks, gloves and sometimes full suits — when dealing with certain species, including big cats and river otters.
Earlier this month, a tiger at the Bronx Zoo tested positive for the novel coronavirus in what was believed to be the first case of “human-to-cat transmission.” Several other lions and tigers also were showing symptoms. No other animal cases have been widely reported.
National officials are “concerned about felids,” or wild cats, Crippen said. So staff uses fullbody gear when working with the museum’s bobcats.
But that can change the relationship with the critters, he said.
“It’s tough because those animals aren’t getting the training and contact they had with the trainers,” he said. They’re used to seeing the humans’ faces and clothing. Imagine if your dog could only interact with you through a hazmat suit.
It’s also hard to maintain physical distance from colleagues, Crippen said, when working with animals in tight quarters, especially with those that require extra attention — like, say, a venomous snake.
Extraneous duties, such as daily monitoring of water chemistry and non-essential medical exams, have been restricted, particularly without volunteers to help.
At the Virginia Beach aquarium, workers are taking extra precautions with river otters “because of some patterns within their taxonomic group with other coronaviruses,” said Dr. Allyson McNaughton, chief of veterinary services.
“So much is unknown,” she said. “We’re paying close attention to any developments within the zoological community,” including which animals could be susceptible to the virus.
Zookeepers in Norfolk are now wearing protective equipment with all of the animals, said manager Lisa Thompson. It started with great apes and big cats, but expanded once staff and volunteers began making reusable cloth masks.
Many animals at the zoo have been trained to easily participate in medical activities, Thompson said. For instance, a lion doesn’t necessarily need to be put under for a blood sample, she said. It’s been trained to allow keepers to pull out its tail and take a sample. The training also makes it easier for staff to spot unusual behaviors, such as if they get sick, Thompson added. None have shown any symptoms of COVID-19.
Animal care staff at all three facilities have been divided into teams that don’t physically overlap, to minimize exposure. Exhibits and labs are wiped down frequently. Workers stay at least 6 feet from each other except when necessary to handle animals.
All of the facilities are struggling without admission fees. The zoo has furloughed at least 45 employees, including part-time staff and seasonal workers, and set up an online emergency fund to help support operations. The living museum also has an animal support fund and the aquarium is soliciting donations online.
In the meantime, staff members are taking advantage of the quiet to get some of the animals out and desensitized a bit.
“It’s always interesting for them to explore a different area,” McNaughton said. “Some have a visual response” in front of new exhibits.
Thompson said it’s hard to tell how much the animals sense the recent changes because most of their routines are being kept the same.
But when they walk through, “some animals are noticing us a little more, I’d say,” she said. With nobody else around, “they’re definitely keying into us a little more.”
You can watch daily behind-the-scenes and educational videos from the Virginia Aquarium, Virginia Zoo and Virginia Living Museum on their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts.
“So much is unknown. We’re paying close attention to any developments within the zoological community.”
— Dr. Allyson McNaughton, chief of veterinary services at the Virginia Aquarium