At a Chilean zoo, a Bengal tiger named Charly and a Bornean orangutan named Sandai were both given COVID-19 vaccines. This viral infection has been found in zoo monkeys, apes, and large cats, as well as wild deer, domestic pets, and minks, and has took the lives of over 5.4 million people worldwide. Three lions, two extra tigers, and three pumas, as well as Charly, three, and Sandai, 26, received their second dose of a unique vaccine created especially for wildlife but has not yet been allowed for purchase, along with three lions, two further tigers, and three pumas. They received their first vaccinations on December 13th.

Since they belong to species that are thought to be more at high risk of contracting COVID-19, Charly, Sandai, and eight other animals from Santiago's Buin Zoo were taken for the investigative vaccine programme. Sebastian Celis, chief of the Buin Zoo's veterinarian section explained, “The idea is to protect the animals that are most susceptible to contracting the coronavirus while testing whether the vaccines generate immunity and, if yes, how long it lasts”.

To date, the virus has been found in lions in Singapore, Zagreb, and Washington, as well as hippos in Belgium, Sumatran tigers in Indonesia, and gorillas in Atlanta, Georgia. No animals at Buin Zoo have been tested for coronavirus since none have shown signs. Various zoos in the United States have begun immunisation initiatives for their populations of animals.

So far, about 90% of Chile's human population over the age of three has received a complete vaccination, with another 62 percent receiving a booster dose. It is the first Latin American country that has begun immunising animals in the wild.

(With inputs from agencies)