Gorila undergoes coronavirus test after fight at zoo

A gorilla named as Shango had to undergo coronavirus test, after he suffered from a low grade-fever, one of the virus symptoms, after having a fight with his younger sibling.

The 433-pound gorilla at Zoo Miami, however, tested negative for the infection.

According to zoo officials, a fight among brothers at Zoo Miami landed Shango in trouble who was transported to a hospital for treatment of several wounds inflicted by his 26-year-old brother, Barney.

X-rays, vaccinations, an ultrasound, a TB test, and bronchoscopy were also performed as part of the zoo’s overall preventative medicine program.

According to local media reports, both Shango and Barney were born at the San Francisco Zoo and arrived at Zoo Miami in May of 2017. Since their arrival, they have resided together at the zoo’s gorilla habitat.

Conflicts between adult male gorillas in bachelor groups are not uncommon.  However, most consist of a lot of posturing and rarely result in serious injury.

Unfortunately, there was some actual physical contact during the last confrontation between the two brothers that resulted in bite wounds.

Once the 433-pound great ape was safely immobilized, the Animal Health team was able to clean and treat the bite wounds which were quite deep but fortunately did not appear to result in any permanent damage.

Because of the strength of adult male gorillas and the power of their bite, X-Rays were performed to ensure that there was no skeletal damage.  None of the tests or procedures performed indicated any abnormalities and Shango recovered well from the anesthesia.

He has since been returned to the gorilla area where he will be closely monitored as he continues to heal.

No decision has been made on when Shango will be reintroduced to Barney.

It is pertinent to mention here that animals have also been diagnosed with having coronavirus after the infection had badly hit humans globally.