Coronavirus poses lethal threat to great apes, experts warn
Source: The Guardian
Coronavirus poses lethal threat to great apes, experts warn
Many of our closest living relatives are already at risk of extinction and susceptible to human disease, warn scientists
Damian Carrington Environment editor
@dpcarrington
Tue 24 Mar 2020 17.51 GMT
Last modified on Tue 24 Mar 2020 18.23 GMT
The coronavirus pandemic could wipe out populations of chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans, leading scientists have warned.
Our closest living relatives, which share about 98% of human DNA, are known to be susceptible to catching respiratory diseases from people.
Even pathogens producing mild symptoms in humans have been lethal to great apes in the past. The fact that Covid-19 is fatal for some humans leads experts to fear it could potentially prove devastating to great apes.
No great apes have yet been reported to have contracted Covid-19, so the true impact is unknown. But many great apes are already at risk of extinction due to forest destruction and poaching, so the researchers say closing national parks, reserves and zoos must be seriously considered.
National parks in Congo and Rwanda have already shut to tourists and researchers, but the decision is not an easy one. Without a human presence, the risk of poaching rises.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/mar/24/coronavirus-poses-lethal-threat-to-great-apes-experts-warn
= new reply since forum marked as read
