The Calgary Zoo has started vaccinating its animals against COVID-19
The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo has begun administering the COVID-19 vaccine to a number of its animals to further their protection against the virus.
A total of 66 animals will receive three doses of vaccine, according to a press release from the zoo, with a follow-up refresher dose in a year.
This has been made possible by a donation from Zoetis. Including the Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo, five Association of Zoos and Aquariums-accredited Canadian institutions are receiving vaccination shipments to protect their animals against COVID-19.
The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo said in the release that it has received its shipment of vaccines and began providing immunizations on April 5.
The zoo has administered vaccines to two western lowland gorillas (Dossi and Kimani), a snow leopard (Leika), two Amur tigers (Samkha and Sarma), a Bactrian camel (Ollie), and several lemurs.
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The zoo said that its Animal Care, Health, and Welfare (ACHW) team has been working throughout the pandemic to keep the animals they love and care for at their facilities (and the people that care for them) safe.
They’ve done this by wearing additional personal protective equipment around all species, increasing the distance of visitors from habitats, and through continual consultation with other zoos to share learnings.
The zoo noted that all of the animals receiving the COVID-19 vaccine were chosen based on a risk-benefit analysis by the ACHW team.
“In preparation for the vaccinations,” reads the release, “the zoo’s ACHW team has been refreshing their animals’ injection training so the animals can participate in their health care.”
The Wilder Institute/Calgary Zoo has created detailed plans to provide vaccine protection to animals that don’t have injection training.
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Earlier this year, when it was announced that Alberta would be lifting its face mask mandate on March 1, 2022, the Calgary Zoo requested that its visitors continue to wear masks while in the Rainforest building to protect Dossi, a pregnant gorilla, from the virus.