As COVID-19 is vigorously spreading around the world, and we have seen cases of human pets getting the virus through contact with their infected owners, the question begins to pose, who would be the next victim?

The conservationists warn that it could bring risk to another vulnerable species, the endangered Africa Mountain Gorilla.

Here's why.

We know now that how contagious the COVID-19 could be, and how easily it could spread among humans. The scientific experts deduce that the primates such as gorillas and chimpanzees are very likely to get infected.

Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, from the Conservation Through Public Health, said that the human species and the primates are very alike, and the risk increases if they have not been exposed to the virus before, they are more likely to get sick. This would lead to a great disaster if they caught the virus from us as it could quickly spread in a group.

They might seem big in size, but according to the World Wide Fund for Nature, a common cold can kill a gorilla.

Which is why tourists are required to stay 7 meters away from them. However, 98% of the time the rule has been broken, either by a human or the gorilla itself. Which is why we are seeing many national parks are shutting down in times like this, such as the Congo’s Virunga National Park.

Therefore, it is crucial for us, humans, people, to stay united in this pandemic, working together to fight the disease, by staying at home to keep ourselves safe and get proper help if suspect infection. We are not just putting ourselves at risk, but a whole lot more than that.

News source from TIME.