At least 72 tigers died due to a highly contagious and deadly viral disease. The event occurred in Tiger Kingdoma private zoo and tourist attraction Chiang Mai, Thailandknown for allowing visitors to get up close, touch and take photos with the tigers.
As stated EFE According to local media, the deaths occurred in two facilities of the popular tourist center among the February 8 and 18.
«When tigers get sick, it is more difficult to detect it than in animals like cats or dogs. When we realized that they were affected, we already it was too late«, the director of the entity assured a local media, Somchuan Ratanamungklanon.
The Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Thailand, As soon as Mayusohhe assured the public channel Thai PBS that tests carried out by the Department of Livestock confirm that the tigers died from moquillo canino y microplasmaa double infection that caused lethal pneumonia in the animals.
Also known as distemper, canine distemper is a viral disease that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systemswhich, as its name indicates, is found in unvaccinated dogs and puppies, although it can also infect large cats.
Because there is no curepreventive vaccination is the only effective protection against the virus.
Investigations underway into the source of the virus
According to the BBClocal authorities indicated in a press conference on Tuesday that the spread of the virus had ended and assured that no Tiger Kingdom workers were affected.
Zoo staff were subjected to medical testswhich did not show any evidence or symptoms as a result of contact with the animals.
However, «for safety reasons and in accordance with the incubation periods of certain diseases, authorities will continue monitoring symptoms for at least 21 days,» the Public Health Ministry said in a statement.
The authorities explained that the 72 bodies were cremated or buried under supervision to avoid the loss or possible sale of skins and tusks. The cats were among the more than 240 animals living in captivity at the two Tiger Kingdom facilities.
Visit Arsaithamkula veterinarian who participated in the tiger necropsies, expressed concern about the origin of the infections, saying it remained unclear without further investigation.
In a Facebook post, he indicated that he suspected that since the two parks were located just 30 kilometers apart, the cause of the infection could be food which was given to the tigers and which came from the same source.
Meanwhile, the Department of Livestock ordered a temporary closure of the venuewhich has another headquarters on the tourist island of Phuket, while the observation of more than a hundred tigers continues, some of which presented symptoms ranging from mild to severe.
NGO criticism of the zoo’s management
The Wildlife Friends Foundation Tailandia stated in a statement that the tigers’ deaths exposed the «extreme vulnerability of captive wildlife facilities to infectious diseases.»
For its part, the NGO People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) questioned whether Tiger Kingdom «makes money by exploiting tigers.» «These tigers died as they lived: in misery, captivity and fear. It is time for the Thai government to shut down these operations once and for all,» they wrote in a Facebook post.
