{"id":42567,"date":"2024-10-11T14:07:44","date_gmt":"2024-10-11T12:07:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/763bb8c5-f0fb-4c41-a9b7-ab62f229c9be"},"modified":"2024-10-11T15:27:26","modified_gmt":"2024-10-11T13:27:26","slug":"did-you-know-a-common-cold-can-kill-a-great-ape-why-getting-close-to-these-primates-can-put-them-in-danger","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/did-you-know-a-common-cold-can-kill-a-great-ape-why-getting-close-to-these-primates-can-put-them-in-danger\/","title":{"rendered":"Did you know a common cold can kill a great ape? Why getting close to these primates can put them in danger"},"content":{"rendered":"

Don’t get to close to a great ape, says James Fair, as you could pass on an illness that could kill them <\/p>

By <\/p>

Published: Friday, 11 October 2024 at 12:07 PM<\/p>

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Humans and great apes<\/a> are so genetically similar that these animals are at risk of catching diseases from us \u2013 to which they have no immunity. <\/strong><\/p>
Can humans spread disease to wildlife?<\/a><\/li>
Do wild animals get cancer?<\/a><\/li><\/ul>
A study published in 2018 identified 33 known instances in which people had transmitted pathogens to chimpanzees<\/a>, orangutans<\/a> and gorillas<\/a>, in captive, semi-wild and wild populations.<\/p>
What diseases can humans pass on to great apes?<\/h2>
Diseases that can be passed onto great apes include respiratory conditions such as influenza, pneumonia and tuberculosis, and bacterial infections such as salmonella.<\/p>
But even a seemingly unthreatening virus can have a devastating impact. In 2009, for example, 11 out of 12 mountain gorillas in Rwanda became sick after contracting the human metapneumovirus (which, for us, manifests as a common cold); of these, an adult female and an infant male died.<\/p>
This is why mountain gorilla tourism rules specify that you should not approach closer than 7m if you\u2019re wearing a mask; 10m if you\u2019re not, and why time with any group is limited to just one hour.<\/p>
The world\u2019s 25 most endangered primates<\/a><\/li><\/ul> <\/body><\/html>\n
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