Research overview: vaccination of captive carnivores against SARS-CoV-2

After SARS-CoV-2 reached zoo animals, some facilities vaccinated captive carnivores, including big cats, using animal-specific vaccines to reduce the risk of severe disease. This overview surveys the rationale and rollout of these vaccination efforts, the experimental veterinary vaccines deployed, and the broader debate over protecting captive wildlife from a human pathogen. It examines monitoring of immune responses, the prioritization of susceptible species, and how the experience informs preparedness for future zoonotic threats to managed collections. The synthesis connects pandemic response to zoo veterinary medicine. It aims to help readers understand a novel chapter in wildlife disease management, in which conservation institutions extended human pandemic countermeasures to the felids and other carnivores in their care, reflecting both the susceptibility of these animals and their value.