The Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens have been mourning the loss of multiple animals due to the highly contagious bacterial illness, Shigella.
According to Mayo Clinic, “Shigella infection (shigellosis) is an intestinal infection caused by a family of bacteria known as shigella”. Symptoms of the infection are stomach pain, cramps, fever, diarrhea and vomiting. It is contagious to humans but not fatal and none of the Zoo’s staff has been reported to have it.
The first animal to contract Shigella was the 35-year old western lowland gorilla, Bulera. She was born in 1989 at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Illinois. Bulera, accompanied by her daughter, joined the Jacksonville Zoo’s gorilla family in 2009. Her death was announced on Aug. 23.
Only 3 days later, on Aug. 26, the Zoo announced the death of Jumanji and Jenga, a pair of brother bonobos. Jumanji was born at the San Diego Safari Park in 1996, later moving to the Jacksonville Zoo with his parents and his sister in 2008. Jenga, Jumanji’s younger brother, was born at the Jacksonville Zoo in 2011. Both brothers were know to have pre-existing heart conditions that made them more susceptible to the effects of Shigella.
The Zoo has taken several steps to try and prevent the spread of shigella. Animals can contract the infection though contact with the bacteria. If a human comes in contact with something that is contaminated with shigella a way to get rid of the bacteria is by washing their hands thoroughly. However, because animals don’t have the same hygiene habits as humans, the Zoo has decided to put the animals in a quarantine.
