Humans and great apes — namely chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes), gorillas (Gorilla gorilla), orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus), bonobos (Pan paniscus) and gibbons (genera Hylobates and Nomascus) — share important characteristics, such as social organisation and communication, and have more than 95 per cent of their DNA in common. They are also susceptible to many of the same infectious diseases, as demonstrated by the Ebola virus, which in the past has decimated populations of central African great apes. For this reason, experts fear that other primates could also contract Covid-19, even though no infections have been recorded so far.

Iucn urges caution

"It is not yet known whether great apes are susceptible to the Sars-CoV-2 virus," reads a statement issued by the Iucn. "However, there is abundant scientific evidence showing that they are susceptible to infection by human respiratory pathogens. It is therefore safer to assume that great apes are susceptible to infection by Sars-CoV-2."

The organisation has therefore called on the managers of parks home to these animals, as well as researchers and tour operators, to adopt the necessary precautions to prevent an epidemic from compromising the populations of these threatened animals, some of which are on the brink of extinction in the wild.

Coronavirus threatens apes too

"Fortunately we have no reports of chimpanzees, gorillas or bonobos being infected with coronavirus so far, but the possibility cannot be ignored because the consequences of a new contagious disease could be disastrous, especially for populations confined to small areas," said Fabian Leendertz, a specialist in infectious diseases of primates at the Robert Koch Institute in Berlin, and author of the study Covid-19: protect great apes during human pandemics.

Read also: Congo, grave epidemia di ebola minaccia esseri umani e gorilla

The new coronavirus is believed to have made the species jump — that is, the passage from one animal to another — moving from bats to humans. A similar passage could occur, researchers believe, between humans and apes. The latter will not be able to adopt our precautions, however, such as social distancing and constant disinfection, so it falls to us to prevent transmission.

Virunga National Park ✓ @gorillacd

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Virunga National Park has taken the difficult decision to temporarily suspend mountain gorilla tourism as of 23 March due to concerns over COVID-19. No new bookings will be accepted before 01 June. For more info: virunga.org/news/virunga-n…

♥ 251💬 15 18 mar 2020 · Apri su X →

Virunga park closes

Mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) are considered to be particularly prone to contracting certain respiratory diseases that afflict humans. A common cold is enough to kill one of these enormous apes, which is why tourists are not ordinarily permitted to get too close. To avoid putting its gorillas at risk — classified as "critically endangered" on the Iucn Red List and which have only just begun a slow recovery after coming close to extinction — Virunga national park, located in the Democratic Republic of Congo, banned tourist access from 23 March and will not accept new bookings for primate-tracking excursions before 1 June.

Read also: Continua a crescere la popolazione di gorilla di montagna

"The temporary closure of the park was undertaken as a precautionary measure and is in line with the WHO's recommendation to limit movement and social contact," reads a statement issued by the park. "We have also followed the advice of experts who believe that primates, including mountain gorillas, are likely to be susceptible to complications arising from Covid-19. We must therefore safeguard our population of this endangered species."

Read also: La sopravvivenza dei gorilla di montagna dipende da noi

In addition to mountain gorillas, the Congolese park — the oldest in Africa — is home to two other great ape species: the eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri) and the eastern chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii).

Read also: Le scimmie tramandano le loro tradizioni di generazione in generazione

Rwanda locks down its parks

Rwanda also announced the closure, from 21 March and for an indefinite period, of tourist and research activities in three of its national parks that are home to gorillas and chimpanzees: Nyungwe National Park, Volcanoes National Park and Gishwati Mukura National Park. In this East African country, tourism is an indispensable resource and mountain gorillas are one of the main attractions. The government decided not to take any risks and prioritised the protection of the animals by banning access to the protected areas.

Read also: Coronavirus. Non dobbiamo aver paura degli animali, ma di ciò che stiamo facendo ai loro habitat

Uganda has not closed its parks but… there are no more tourists

Unlike the other two nations, Uganda has not formally closed its parks, while pointing out that there are currently almost no tourists left in the country due to the cancellation of most flights and the closure of numerous countries.

The few tourists present, Andrew Seguya, executive secretary of the Uganda Wildlife Authority, specified, are screened with thermal checks for fever and other symptoms and must maintain a distance of at least seven metres from the gorillas. Visitors from countries affected by the virus who have completed their quarantine period upon arriving in Uganda must also show a certificate attesting to that isolation before they can go in search of the gorillas.

Read also: Gli ultimi gorilla sono minacciati dai nostri virus

Without tourism, conservation is at risk

The actions taken by these nations are necessary in an effort to safeguard their natural heritage. There is, however, a flip side: by forgoing the revenue generated by tourism, which represents a significant source of income for all three countries, many conservation projects risk being left without funding.

Read also: Il ruolo delle donne nella conservazione delle grandi scimmie in Congo

Coronavirus, even if it were not to strike great ape populations directly, could therefore harm them indirectly by weakening the measures put in place to ensure their survival. Local economies based on tourism will have to face severe financial losses, and some fear that such losses could further expose the primates to poachers.

Iucn's ten-point guide to protecting apes

In an attempt to minimise the risk of infecting the primates, the Iucn has drawn up a ten-point code of correct behaviour. The suggested measures include, among other things, maintaining a distance of at least seven metres from the animals (preferably ten) and an absolute ban on allowing sick people to visit the apes. Given the likely high number of asymptomatic cases, people who have had contact with sick patients in the previous two weeks are also asked to stay away from the apes.