An orangutan named Karen (how apropos) was among the first great apes at a U.S. zoo to receive a COVID-19 vaccine after having previously been the first in the world to have open-heart surgery in 1994.

National Geographic reports:

In February, Karen, three other orangutans, and five bonobos at the San Diego Zoo have received two doses each of an experimental vaccine for animals developed by a veterinary pharmaceutical company, says Nadine Lamberski, chief conservation and wildlife health officer at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

Lamberski said, “This isn’t the norm. In my career, I haven’t had access to an experimental vaccine this early in the process and haven’t had such an overwhelming desire to want to use one.”

In January, eight gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park became the first great apes in the world to test positive for COVID-19. Winston, a 49-year-old silverback even received experimental antibody treatment after his diagnosis and has been recovering along with the others.

According to Just the News, coronavirus vaccines for animals have existed for many years, but the animal health care company Zoetis which was once part of Pfizer has specifically focused on developing a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for animals.

It sure seems Biden’s COVID vaccination “plan” is going smoothly:

Great Apes in San Diego are getting the China Virus vaccine while veterans and senior citizens who want it aren't.

Is this what Joe Biden means when he says he has a "plan" to manage vaccine rollout?

🤔

— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) March 5, 2021