Tourists could be spreading Covid to wild mountain gorillas by taking selfies with the animals without following precautions, a study by Oxford Brookes University suggests.

Researchers from Oxford Brookes University examined nearly 1,000 Instagram posts and found most gorilla trekking tourists were close enough to the animals, without face masks on, to make transmission of viruses and diseases possible.

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Oxford Brookes University Primate Conservation alumnus Gaspard Van Hamme, said: “The risk of disease transmission between visitors and gorillas is very concerning. It is vital that we strengthen and enforce tour regulations to ensure gorilla trekking practices do not further threaten these already imperiled great apes”.

In January, captive gorillas at San Diego Zoo tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, providing evidence that the current pandemic has the potential to affect great apes.

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