Veterinarians with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) are partnering with the Greenville (South Carolina) Zoo to assess the facility's SARS-CoV-2 biosecurity practices, using a standardized tool, according to a news release.

“APHIS is here to talk about some of the changes we had to make when COVID-19 restrictions went into place, to make our animal collection, staff and guests safer here at the zoo,” said James Traverse, the Greenville Zoo's general curator.

The team has used the biosecurity tool at 60 zoos and aquariums across the country, providing a consistent approach to biosecurity to help zoos and aquariums become better prepared for future outbreaks. 

Prior to the survey, the zoo had done several exams on its animals and shared the data and samples with APHIS to determine whether any animals were exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the news release said.

By sharing samples, APHIS can identify the range of species that may be susceptible to the virus, helping prevent or minimize the impact of the next zoonotic disease outbreak or global pandemic. 

The USDA is currently conducting multiple projects under the American Rescue Plan Act, aimed at understanding how the SARS-CoV-2 virus behaves in different animals, how it moves between animals and people, and what we and our public health partners can do to interrupt the chain of transmission. 

"Providing a consistent approach to biosecurity will help build a framework to understand how humans, animals and environments depend on each other," the news release said. "This will ultimately help zoos and aquariums become better prepared for the future to help prevent or minimize the impact of the next zoonotic disease outbreak or global pandemic."

There is still much to learn about SARS-CoV-2 in animals, but no evidence, thus far, showing that animals play a major role in aiding the virus to spread to humans. According to the release, the risk of animals spreading the virus to people is low.

“We hope that the guidance that we come up with can help people protect their animals and protect the people that work there,” said Dr. Steve Rekant, the APHIS SARS-CoV-2 coordinator.