Mysterious Illness Kills 72 Tigers At Popular Tourist Parks In Thailand, Probe Underway

At least 72 tigers died due to a mysterious illness at two facilities of Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai, a popular tourist attraction in northern Thailand where visitors can touch and interact with the big cats, BBC reported. The deaths, representing nearly 30% of the park's total tiger population, occurred between February 8 and 19 this year. The park has been closed for 14 days, with disinfection and vaccination efforts underway. According to the local livestock department, the samples from the tigers showed canine distemper virus (CDV), which is highly contagious among animals, but there's no evidence of transmission to humans. There were also traces of bacterial infection.

Also read | US Teen's Expressions During Interview After Surviving Serious Knife Attack Go Viral

The authorities were clueless about how the outbreak happened, but they confirmed that no humans had been infected. Still, the staff are under observation as a precaution. They also confirmed that the virus is not spreading anymore, and the remaining tigers are also fine.

The tigers that died mysteriously were buried, and the authorities recommended to euthanise the seriously ill tigers.

"By the time we realised they were sick, it was already too late," Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, director of the national livestock department, previously said, as quoted.

Also read | Coffee Shop's Error Made UK Woman World's "Richest" With Seventeen-Figure Balance

The authorities previously thought that the tigers had been infected with feline parvovirus. As per the Bangkok Post, the authorities also assumed that the outbreak might have caused by the contaminated raw chicken meat fed to the tigers.

Animal rights groups, such as PETA Asia and Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand, criticise the poor living conditions of captive tigers, highlighting the risks of disease outbreaks.

In a statement, Peta Asia said that "tragedies like this would be far less likely to happen" if "tourists stayed away" from these attractions.