Tourists Could Be Spreading COVID-19 to Wild Mountain Gorillas by Taking Selfies With the Animals

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Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei)

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Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) in Volcanoes National Park. Credit: Andrew Walmsley

Selfies, Gorillas and the Risks of Disease Transmission

Tourists might be spreading out the infection triggering COVID-19 to wild mountain gorillas by taking selfies with the animals without following safety measures. Researchers from Oxford Brookes University analyzed almost 1,000 Instagram posts and discovered most gorilla travelling travelers were close sufficient to the animals, without face masks on, to make transmission of infections and illness possible.

Examining the images from individuals going to mountain gorillas in East Africa, lead author and Oxford Brookes University Primate Conservation alumnus Gaspard Van Hamme stated: “The risk of disease transmission between visitors and gorillas is very concerning. It is vital that we strengthen and enforce tour regulations to ensure gorilla trekking practices do not further threaten these already imperiled great apes.”

In January 2021, captive gorillas at San Diego Zoo checked favorable for SARS-CoV-2, the infection that triggers COVID-19, supplying proof that the existing pandemic has the possible to likewise perhaps likewise can impact primates. Tourists’ images analyzed for this research study discovered individuals were close sufficient to the animals that illness transmission would be possible.

The value of using face masks

Dr. Magdalena Svensson, speaker in biological sociology at Oxford Brookes University included: “In the photos we analyzed, we found that face masks were rarely worn by tourists visiting gorillas and that brings potential for disease transmission between people and the gorillas they visit. With people all over the world getting more used to wearing face masks we have hope that in the future wearing face masks will become common practice in gorilla trekking.”

Gorilla numbers in the balance

Mountain gorillas are endemic to the East African area. They exist in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Virunga National Park), Uganda (Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park), and Rwanda (Volcanoes National Park). In current years, these populations have actually experienced the ill impacts of human activities however in more current years gorilla numbers have actually begun to increase and now it is approximated that there are 1,063 people.

Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka from Conservation Through Public Health, Uganda, stated: “This research provides a valuable perspective on how much tourists are willing to share their too close encounters with mountain gorillas through Instagram, which creates expectations for future tourists. It highlights a great need for responsible tourism to provide adequate protection while minimizing disease transmission, especially now during the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Tourism: environment and wildlife

Trekking is an essential financial backing to mountain gorilla preservation. But big visitor numbers can influence on the wildlife and environment — standards to alleviate these consist of keeping a minimum range of 7 meters in between visitors and gorillas. The Oxford Brookes research study reveals that these standards are not effectively followed and imposed.

Russell A. Mittermeier, Chair of the IUCN/SSC Primate Specialist Group, who was not associated with the research study, commented: “It has become apparent in the past few years that studies of anthroponotic and zoonotic disease spread are crucial to the field of primate conservation. With that in mind, it is very exciting to see the new research on this topic coming out of the Primate Conservation Group at Oxford Brookes University. While this study focused on one species, the mountain gorilla, the lessons learned are also applicable to many other primate species that are increasingly coming into contact with people. This line of research will certainly become more important in the future.”

Reference: 16 February 2021, People and Nature.
DOI: 10.1002/pan3.10187