Calgary Zoo Is Asking People To Keep Wearing Masks & It's To Protect A Pregnant Gorilla

Calgary Zoo has asked guests to keep wearing their masks in its Rainforest room when the province's mask mandate lifts next month in order to protect its troop of gorillas from infection.

The measures are especially important to protect Dossi, the zoo’s pregnant gorilla.

Calgary Zoo said that while the “combined risk of transmission and risk of illness for the animal residents of other buildings is considered low”, they are concerned about “unknown airflow patterns” of its Rainforest room.

Great apes are highly susceptible to Covid-19 transmission as they are similar to humans, the zoo said.

Dossi is expecting her first infant with the zoo’s male silverback gorilla, Jasiri, in early April. Calgary Zoo said it hasn’t yet been able to secure a vaccine shipment to protect Dossi and her troop family from COVID-19.

Jamie Dorgan, Director of Animal Care, Health & Welfare, said the zoo had been taking extra precautions from “additional biosecurity to world-class maternal care and working with the entire gorilla troop” for the last seven months in order to help Dossi have a successful pregnancy.

“We are asking visitors to continue to wear masks inside the Rainforest building to help protect Dossi and other troop members from a potential COVID transmission which could have a devastating effect on her precious pregnancy,” he added.

As a result, zoo-goers will not be permitted to enter the Rainforest room without a mask in order to protect all animals in the Rainforest room.

“Those not wearing masks will be kindly asked to leave the building. Visitors that are verbally abusive to staff or volunteers when asked to wear masks indoors will be escorted out of the park and no refund will be provided,” the zoo said.