Ohio Zoo Vaccinates Animals Vulnerable to COVID-19

Animals at a zoo in Akron, Ohio, were administered COVID-19 vaccines as the staff initiated a plan to vaccinate all vulnerable species, footage released on November 4 shows.

Video filmed by the Akron Zoo between September 30 and October 26 shows Luna the skunk, Leone the straw-colored bat, and Eko the Sumatran tiger receiving their vaccinations developed by animal health company Zoetis, which donated the doses, the zoo wrote in a press release.

Five lions at the Akron Zoo had tested positive for COVID-19 on September 29 and were treated for clinical symptoms over the past month, the zoo said. All lions received negative test results on November 2 and were declared fully recovered.

“As we vaccinate our other susceptible animals, we are relieved to be able to offer protection from this virus so that none of our other animal residents have to face the medical challenges that our lions did,” Akron Zoo president and CEO Doug Piekarz said. Credit: Akron Zoo via Storyful