Authorities investigate death of 72 tigers due to virus
BBC • • world
Key Points:
- Seventy-two tigers died within two weeks at Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai, a popular tourist park where visitors interact with the animals, prompting an investigation by local authorities.
- Tests revealed the tigers were infected with canine distemper virus and a respiratory bacteria, though the exact source of the outbreak remains unconfirmed; officials reported the virus is no longer spreading.
- The province's livestock office also found evidence of feline parvovirus and considered contaminated raw chicken as a possible cause, recalling a similar 2004 bird flu outbreak linked to raw chicken at another tiger zoo.
- No humans working at the park have contracted the virus, but staff are under observation for 21 days as a precaution, and severely ill tigers were euthan
