Project Chimps Prepares for Coronavirus
Hoping for the best but planning for the worst
As the world prepares for a potential Coronavirus pandemic, so is Project Chimps.
Not only are we preparing for the potential medical threat of the COVID-19 virus, we are also braced for the potential ripple effects of a pandemic, such as disruptions to food and medical supplies.
Here are some answers to questions about how we’re working to protect the chimps and our sanctuary team.
Q. Can the chimps contract COVID-19?
Probably. Just like the common cold and influenza, chimpanzees are likely susceptible to the Coronavirus. This is why we have protocols to protect the chimps from common human respiratory illnesses, and those same precautions should protect them against this novel virus.
Q. What happens if staff members get sick?
Staff and volunteers who have symptoms of illness must stay home and not report to the sanctuary until they are cleared by a doctor or their symptoms subside. If they have a sick family member at home, we ask them to wear additional Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when reporting to work to prevent any contagions being passed from an asymptotic carrier.
Q. How will you treat a chimpanzee if he/she becomes ill?
Should a chimp show symptoms of a respiratory illness, they will be examined by Project Chimps’ veterinarian and provided with fluids and medications as they would in any other situation. Their health will be further monitored day in and day out by our Veterinary Assistant and their Chimpanzee Caregivers. We may proactively treat a chimps’ entire family group if the illness appears to be severe.
Q. Could COVID-19 be fatal to a chimpanzee?
Sadly, yes. As with humans, there is a chance that respiratory viruses could result in an illness so severe that we may lose a chimp. The coronavirus has the highest impact on humans with compromised immune systems and the elderly. Former research chimpanzees, with the number of stressors placed on their body for the experiments they were used in, are considered a compromised population. We know from their medical records that many in Latricia’s group of females are susceptible to respiratory infections, for example.
Should COVID-19 make its way into our sanctuary and infect the chimps, we would anticipate seeing the same fatality statistics that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has shared for infected humans. While hard to think about, we would have to prepare that not everyone would recover, no matter what treatments we may try.
Q. Could we see a disruption in our access to medical supplies?
Yes. We are definitely concerned about disruptions to deliveries of needed supplies, we we’ve been planning ahead. With so many human primates buying disposable respiratory masks, gloves, and other personal protective equipment, we began in early February to ensure the sanctuary is well stocked with the needed items to protect personnel and chimps from every day, routine contaminants. We have also taken precaution to stock our Veterinary Clinic pharmacy with the medications we can anticipate we may need should it be harder to obtain drugs as this pandemic continues to advance.
Q. Could we see a disruption in our access to chimp food?
Yes. Disruptions to interstate cargo and trade may affect our ability to receive food deliveries in a timely fashion. And while you or I could live on granola bars and powdered Gatorade for a few weeks, should we need to, we cannot afford dramatic alterations in the chimps’ diets, particularly given that many already have compromised immune systems.
We usually receive three weekly deliveries of fresh produce, but if interstate trade were disrupted, we would have to use whatever fresh produce we could get and supplement with canned fruits and vegetables. To prepare for this, we have stocked up on several months’ supply of canned and shelf-stable products, as well as our specialized primate chow/nutritional biscuits. The good news is that the chimps think the canned produce is novel, so while we will hold our stock in case crisis hits, once this situation passes, we can put the stock in rotation for the chimp’s enrichment!
Q. A COVID-19 vaccine is being tested on animals, could the chimps be tested on too?
No. While chimpanzees are genetically similar to us, it has historically been found that the chimpanzees are not good models for human disease research or drug testing. AIDS and HIV vaccine testing is a great example of how chimpanzee research failed. As a result of this, and the fact that chimpanzees are endangered, The National Institutes of Health chose to permanently end invasive chimpanzee research in 2015.
In terms of other animal testing, more than 90% of drugs that have undergone rigorous testing on animals ultimately fail in human clinical trials.
Q. Could sanctuary visits and events be affected?
Yes. We had several events and tours scheduled this spring. On March 13 we decided to postpone all onsite events and tours through May 10, following the guidelines of the Centers for Disease Control. We will continue to follow all recommendations of the CDC, our local health officials as well as other state and federal agencies to ensure that visitors, staff and, of course, the chimps are safe. Ticket holders to these events will receive updates via email in advance of any event and we will continue to update groups and ticket holders for events scheduled in May 2020 and beyond.
Group tours will be reschedule to later dates. Event ticket holders who may prefer to transfer their tickets to future events will have opportunities to do so. Refunds will also be available, upon request.
Q. How can I stay informed about sanctuary actions related to COVID-19?
The best way to stay connected is to sign up to receive our regular email updates. We’ll provide periodic updates in our monthly newsletter and via direct emails if sanctuary operations are impacted.
Thank you for following this story and caring about the health and welfare of the 79 former research chimpanzees now in our care, as well as our sanctuary team.
Updated March 16, 2020