The Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden’s veterinary staff successfully gave 80 animals two rounds of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The zoo’s staff managed to provide the vaccine to the big cats, great apes, goats, giraffes, red pandas, skunks, bearcats, river otters, and domesticated animals that share a space with humans, according to a release Monday.
“We have three technicians (Amy Long, Jenny Kroll, and Janell Duvall), and they have their hands full with their regular routines and workloads,” said the zoo’s director of animal health, Dr. Mark Campbell. “Adding the task of vaccinating dozens of animals, located all over the zoo’s campus, to their plates was a big request.”
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“[The staff] rolled up their sleeves and got busy, working quickly to ensure that each multi-dose vaccine container was used within 24 hours of opening and kept at the desired temperature at all times,” Campbell said.
The proximity in time required to receive the second dose of the vaccine had some at the zoo anxious about how the animals would react, he said.
“We were concerned that the fresh memory of the first injection would make animals less willing to offer a shoulder or thigh for the second round, but they did!” Campbell said. “That success is 100% due to the strong relationships these animals have with care staff and our animal health team.”
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The zoo has not reported adverse reactions from any of the animals as a result of the vaccine but said animal care teams would closely monitor all the vaccinated animals.
