Covid-19 threatens humans and our closest cousins

As the number of positive Covid-19 cases in Africa gradually continue to climb, the risk of the virus creeping into great ape populations on the continent increases.

Although Africa is not the hardest-hit region, SARS-CoV-2 has wreaked havoc. Poverty, economic uncertainty, a lack of resources and pre-existing viruses are just some of the challenges Africa has had to deal in addition to the pandemic.

Great apes, who are very closely related to mankind and many of which reside in Africa, are susceptible to this virus, making the fight against it even more challenging.

When the novel coronavirus began to spread rapidly across the globe, the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) responded in a memorandum, published as early as 10 March. JGI emphasised that “it is safest to assume that all four subspecies of chimpanzees are susceptible to 2019-nCoV”.

We knew even less about the virus then than we do now, but if there is no vaccine for human beings, experts possess even less knowledge on how to cure animals, namely great apes, who may contract SARS-CoV-2. It is safe to assume this because great apes, especially chimpanzees and gorillas, are susceptible to infection with respiratory pathogens passed on by humans. No cases of Covid-19 positive great apes have been recorded.

But this is still a worrying prospect.

Human illness that have affected great apes in the past

SARS-CoV-2 is not the first brush great apes have had with a virus that affects humans.

A mild human coronavirus (HCov-OC43) outbreak was observed among chimpanzees in East Africa from the end of 2016 in the Taï National Park, Côte d´Ivoire. According to experts who monitored the outbreak, this was the first known incident of a human coronavirus making great apes sick.

Data showed that OC43, also known as a common cold, stemmed from an earlier human coronavirus outbreak in Asia in 2012 and 2013.

However, findings would have been more comprehensive if human coronaviruses in Africa were better documented, which could be encouraging for SARS-CoV-2, a much better documented, albeit more severe virus.

More cases that are documented means more decisive action can be taken by parks and conservation authorities in regions where great apes reside, protecting them from humans early enough to potentially spare them from the virus.

Gorilla populations in Rwanda have been battling respiratory diseases since 1990, with an entry in the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine in 2013 stating that from 1990 to 2010, at least 18 outbreaks of respiratory viruses were observed in gorilla families.

Although death was not too common in these outbreaks, this study claimed that almost every mountain gorilla group in Rwanda that are visited by tourists or researchers have had at least one outbreak, pointing to the need for tourism and research ethics to play a more significant role while preserving great apes.

Protocols

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and primate specialists released a joint statement on 15 March detailing measures to be taken by parks, zoos and wildlife facilities.

The statement strongly recommended that great ape visitations by humans be reduced to the absolute minimum, that staff keep a distance of at least seven to 10 metres from great apes, and that anyone coming into contact with great apes wear clean clothes, disinfected footwear and a surgical mask.

Essentially, the same principles that apply for humans not to infect each other apply to great apes.

The Jane Goodall Institute’s Chimp Eden had closed its doors a week before lockdown was announced to mitigate potential contamination in staff and chimpanzees, said Chimp Eden assistant manager Jana Swart.

“Every year in other sanctuaries and in the wild, where chimpanzees are in close contact with humans, many die as a result of human influenza. Chimpanzees are susceptible to most human diseases, and the possibility that Covid-19 would be fatal to them is extremely high,” Swart explained.

Due to this susceptibility, protocol at Chimp Eden did not have to be dramatically changed, she said, as staff always wear masks and gloves when working with chimpanzees. Staff who are ill or who have ill relatives are not allowed to work with the chimpanzees.

All food received is disinfected, and night rooms are disinfected every morning, Swart said.

She and a small number of staff are on lockdown at Chimp Eden. Swart said only one designated person collects food, wearing a mask and gloves.

Even facilities that do not house great apes have adopted these protocols.

Primate keeper at Alameda Wildlife Conservation Park in Spain Nicola Campbell said that even though the facility only housed primates, among other animals, all primates were potentially susceptible to the virus, especially African and Asian species.

Masks and gloves are worn at Alameda when food is prepared and delivered to the primates.

Even Johannesburg Zoo has joined the hygiene party, saying in a statement they would be heeding the call to protect their great ape residents by ensuring that staff perform sanitary work practices, wear personal protection, and ensure that meals and the veterinary hospital is safe for the animals.

“The animals in our care will continue to receive the highest care by their committed caregivers who form part of the critical staff complement of the Zoo.”

Human and great ape social distancing

Due to great apes’ similarity to human beings, the same principles of social distancing apply.

The OC43 virus was, according to Unesco, mainly due to the lack of distance practised between humans and chimpanzees. This is because of habitat loss, which increases the risk of zoonotic diseases.

French veterinarian and primatologist Sabrina Krief explained that although distance needs to be practised, this is often difficult to instil.

In Uganda’s Kibale National Park, for instance, Krief said that agricultural areas and an asphalt road surround it, making it virtually impossible to cordon off from human activities.

“Covid-19 could decimate the remaining populations [of great apes] if strict protocols are not put in place to protect these animals,” Campbell emphasised. At least lockdown brings with it slight relief from this fear, for now.

What happens if great apes contract Covid-19?

“If a chimpanzee contracts Covid-19, God forbid, the only action at this stage would be to isolate in our quarantine section,” Swart said.

Campbell explains that an outbreak of any kind in a captive setting would require quarantining until the animal has recovered, and would mean minimal contact with keepers, strict hygiene procedures and intense observation for symptoms in other animals.

Luckily, this has not happened yet. But Swart worries that conservation efforts would be severely affected should an outbreak occur among great apes.

“A virus would pose a threat to conservation efforts as it could potentially wipe out chimp populations in the wild, and also in sanctuaries. It will also affect tourism activities.

“In our case, it will have a disastrous effect on our income, as we rely on visitors for funds,” she explained.

It does not help sanctuaries housing great apes that tourism and field research activities have abruptly stopped.

Campbell shares this sentiment, adding that the conservation of great apes is already at a critical level.

“Many species are listed by the IUCN as critically endangered through loss of habitat, bushmeat trade and disease.”

She said that gorilla populations were still recovering from the Ebola virus outbreak, which took place in the 2000s, and also affected chimpanzee populations.

According to Unesco, Ebola killed up to 95% of gorillas in some areas, with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) indicating that some populations would need more than 130 years to be restored.

Covid-19 will only exacerbate the challenges already faced by Africa’s great apes.

If humans are not careful, we risk wiping out our closest cousins.

Practising strict hygiene protocols and limiting human contact with great apes will play an invaluable role in preventing a Covid-19 outbreak in great ape populations.

But when the pandemic has passed, and scientific data proving the negative impact humans intentionally or unintentionally have on great apes continues to be collected, a bigger problem may be ensuring that these apes are looked after, but left alone.

Tourism and research are hugely beneficial to preserving great ape populations, but only if enough care is taken to ensure that people watch over them at a safe distance.

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