A highly contagious virus is believed to have killed 72 captive tigers in North Thailand in February.
Authorities are working extremely hard to both check the outbreak and to keep the disease from spreading to other animals.
Teams have started clean up of enclosures and have made preparations to provide vaccines as a containment measure.
Uncertain Cause, Multiple Infections Suspected
Officials initially said that the tigers had been infected with the canine distemper virus with veterinarians finding the mycoplasma bacteria as a secondary infection as well.
However, earlier comments by Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, director general of Thailand’s Department of Livestock Development, said that the animals could have been infected with feline panleukopenia.
The cause of deaths is still being investigated as authorities continue to test in order to understand the main source of the outbreak.
Outbreak spread and Rapid Impact
The outbreaks of infection were identified in two districts in Chiang Mai. Mae Rim and Mae Taeng, both in mountain areas.
Reports say that dozens of tigers started to display symptoms on February 08 and deaths soon followed.
Officials described the large number of deaths as a cause for concern. Kritsayarm Kongsatri, the director of the wildlife conservation office in Chiang Mai, described the scope of fatalities above as “very unusual,” in an interview with the local media.
Attraction for Tourists Temporarily Closed
Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai, a popular tourist site which lets visitors “hug, touch and take photos up close with tigers,” has been temporarily closed following the outbreak. Authorities have not confirmed when it will open back again.
Previous animal disease outbreaks
Similar incidents have taken place in the past. In 2024, forty-seven tigers died and three leopards died in southern Vietnam after catching bird flu.
In 2004 an outbreak of bird flu at the Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Thailand resulted in the deaths or euthanisation of 147 tigers in an attempt to prevent further spread.
