
Scott LaMar photo
Scott LaMar photo
This vote threatens federal support for programming on WITF — putting at risk educational programming, trusted news and emergency communications that our community depends on produced locally and from PBS and NPR. Now the proposal heads to the Senate.
Scott LaMar photo
Airdate: Thursday, March 17, 2022
Twenty-nine different species of animals have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus in the past two years. Among the animals that have contracted the virus are dogs, cats, ferrets, minks, otters, whitetail deer and hippos.
For the most part, these animals haven’t suffered serious illnesses due to the virus.
Even though the virus is thought to have originated in a horseshoe bat, COVID isn’t normally spread from animals to humans. However, the virus can mutate in animals and that is reason for concern.
With us on Thursday’s Smart Talk to discuss animals and COVID are Dr. Eman Anis (microbiologist), Assistant Professor of Pathobiology at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn Vet) and Section Head of the Microbiology Lab at the Pennsylvania Animal Diagnostic Laboratory System (PADLS) at the School of Veterinary Medicine’s New Bolton Center campus in Chester County and Dr. Erick Gagne (ecologist), Assistant Professor of Wildlife Disease Ecology at the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (Penn Vet) and Wildlife Disease Ecologist at the Wildlife Futures Program, a research and diagnostics partnership between Penn Vet and the Pennsylvania Game Commission.