Covid-19 not only affects humans; our closest relatives, the great apes, are also at risk. A team of experts, including Oxford Brookes University researchers say that jungle trekkers could be risking the lives of Critically Endangered species of orangutans, by passing on human viruses like Covid-19. The researchers examined Instagram images of tourists in Indonesia and saw them breaking the rule of maintaining a 10 metre distance, posing for selfies, stroking, cuddling or feeding the wild orangutans. This activity exposes the orangutans to human diseases which can prompt deadly infections. Lead author of the research paper, Andrea Molyneaux, a conservation biologist based in North Sumatra and a passionate advocate of safe jungle trekking practices, said: “The risk of zoono...
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