A group of Niabi Zoo animals ranging from Amur Leopards to Fennec foxes have received the first and second rounds of the Veterinary COVID vaccine, produced and donated by the pharmaceutical company Zoetis.

“COVID-19 has been found in a wide array of mammals since the pandemic struck. And like humans, some species are particularly vulnerable to becoming seriously ill as a result,” zoo director Lee Jackson said in a zoo release Monday. “A number of zoo animals have fallen ill due to COVID, and dozens have died as a result, including at least one snow leopard at a zoo in Illinois.”

In January 2022, it was announced that an 11-year-old snow leopard died from COVID at Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, Ill.

“The Niabi Zoo instituted bio-security precautions for COVID, in addition to the standard bio-security rules we already had in place. As a result, the Niabi Zoo had no cases of COVID in any of its animals,” Jackson said Monday. “The addition of the vaccine to our biosecurity protocols will help assure the safety of our residents moving forward.”

When the veterinary COVID vaccine was first made available, Niabi Zoo reached out to the manufacturer, and was placed on a waiting list. Niabi received its first doses in late January. The first round of two doses were given on Feb. 6^th and Feb. 27^th. A second group of animals will receive their vaccinations in the coming weeks.

“Zoo animals, like family pets, receive regular vaccinations for things like rabies, distemper, and parvo virus, etc.,” said Jackson. “The COVID vaccine is another important tool we will use to assure the health and wellbeing of the animals at the zoo.”

In July 2021, the global animal health company Zoetis announced it had donated over 11,000 doses of its experimental COVID vaccine to nearly 70 zoos across the country.

The vaccine has been authorized for experimental use on a case-by-case basis by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the respective state veterinarians, the company said.

Zoetis, which has provided the vaccine to zoos across 27 U.S. states, supplied it to the San Diego Zoo earlier in 2021 for use in the zoo’s great apes following an outbreak that infected several members of a troop of gorillas, according to a Reuters report.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pets — including cats and dogs — have been infected with the virus that causes COVID. This happened mostly after the animals were in close contact with people infected with the COVID virus. Over 1.12 million Americans have died from COVID.

The risk of animals spreading the COVID virus to people is considered low, according to the Mayo Clinic. Animals don’t appear to play a major role in spreading the virus that causes COVID. There is no evidence that viruses can spread to people or other animals from a pet’s skin, fur or hair.

However, animals can carry other germs that can make people sick. Young children, people with weakened immune systems and people age 65 and older are at risk. They should be cautious and wash their hands after touching an animal, Mayo Clinic said.

Niabi Zoo in Coal Valley will open for the regular season on April 17, 2023. For more information, visit the zoo website HERE.