Covid-19 and Our Animal 'Friends'?

The Covid-19 infections picked up (having been presumably transmitted by a keeper) by a troop of Gorillas at San Diego zoo (in California, USA), has been much commented on. There is now news that 9 'great apes' (5 Bonobos and 4 Orang Utans) at the zoo, have been given an experimental Covid vaccine (https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2021/mar/05/san-diego-zoo-apes-covid-vaccines-outbreak). The vaccine is being developed, 'for animal use', by Zoetis. The intention appears to be (after getting approval for it) to make the preparation available for the vaccination of mink, cats and dogs. This development raises several issues. I can well understand the zoo wishing to protect its 'great apes'. By agreeing to the 'tests' (they are far from a controlled study), the zoo has, however, effectively turned their apes into experimental animals. 'Great ape' primates are also rather remote from the specified targets for the vaccine (members of the Carnivora). If the vaccine is effective in such a wide range of animal species, might the manufacturers be tempted to try it on humans? Conversely, do we really need to develop an 'animal vaccine', as those devised for our own species might work perfectly well in our animal 'friends'? I appreciate that there could be considerable disquiet at the thought of the limited Covid-19 vaccines, being given to zoo (or other) animals, before many humans have received any protection. The development also raises the relatively ignored issue of SARS-CoV-2 in companion and zoo animals. If we really want to eradicate the virus in countries, it will have to be eliminated from human and animal populations.