Denver Zoo Animals Will Get Their COVID-19 Vaccines Next Week

Humans aren't the only Coloradans that are getting their COVID-19 vaccines.

According to The Denver Post, the Denver Zoo will start giving COVID-19 vaccines to their animals next week. However, this shot, known as the Zoetis vaccine, is different from the one humans are receiving.

Although animals are unlikely to catch the virus from humans, transmission is still possible — especially among big cats, monkeys, and some rodents.

"It's very important to us to provide protection for our animals. Our primates and carnivores will be at the top of the list," Dr. Scott Larsen, Vice President of Animal Health at the Denver Zoo, told the publication. "We know some of those animals like gorillas and tigers, mink otters can all be infected. But for a lot of these others, we don't know what the susceptibility is."

According to a Facebook post from the Denver Zoo, vaccines are not the only precaution that the zoo has taken to protect their animals. Since the pandemic began, keepers have been wearing masks around all of their mammals.

The post noted that the vaccines will not disturb the animals, as vaccinations are a regular part of their routines. In fact, many of the animals are trained to voluntarily receive injections, which prevents keepers from having to use anesthesia.

Thankfully, Denver7 reports that, unlike zoo mammals, household pets are not at a high risk of contracting COVID-19. The CDC says that, although some domestic pets have tested positive for the virus, "there is no evidence that animals play a significant role in spreading SARS-CoV-2 to humans."