Go Retire Psychiatrist

I just read a news item saying that the Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines, Iowa is administering COVID-19 vaccine to the animals there. I wondered how that would go, especially with large animals. I figured the zoo staff would be using dart guns. Talk about vaccine hesitance.

Then I saw a YouTube showing animals at the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky getting their shots. Apparently, they can get sick from COVID-19 infection. There were a few disparaging comments from viewers. Would 70 zoos vaccinate their animals if it weren’t safe and effective?

The animals didn’t seem to mind it. In fact, they were probably more cooperative than some humans. Of course, they got treats. But we give gift cards, beer, lottery prizes, turkey-flavored candy corn—which don’t really work. About 25% of Iowans don’t plan to get the vaccine according to a Des Moines Register news story.

Will the animals get boosters?

Featured image credit: Jim & Sena Amos at Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, WI in 2009.