At least 20 tigers and a panther have died and been incinerated after the animals contracted bird flu at a zoo in southern Vietnam, local media reported today.
Vietnamese state media outlet VNExpress, citing an official at the Vuon Xoai zoo in the city of Bien Hoa, said the animals were fed raw chicken bought from nearby farms.
A panther and 20 tigers, including several cubs, weighed between 10 and 120 kilograms when they died. Their bodies were incinerated and buried at the zoo.
"The tigers died so quickly. They looked weak, refused to eat and died two days after they fell ill," said zoo official Nguyen Ba Phuc.
Samples taken from the tigers tested positive for H5N1, the virus that causes bird flu.
The virus was first identified in 1959 and became a widespread and highly lethal threat to migratory birds and poultry. It has since evolved, and in recent years H5N1 has been detected in a growing number of animals, from dogs and cats to sea lions and polar bears.
In cats, scientists have found that the virus attacks the brain, damaging and clotting blood vessels and causing convulsions and death.
More than 20 other tigers have been isolated and are under surveillance. The zoo is home to about 3,000 other animals, including lions, bears, rhinos, hippos and giraffes.
The 30 staff members who cared for the tigers tested negative for bird flu and were in normal health, VNExpress reported.
Another outbreak also occurred at a zoo in neighboring Long An province, where 27 tigers and three lions died in a week in September, the Vietnamese media reported.
Unusual strains of flu that come from animals are occasionally found in people. U.S. health officials said Thursday that two workers at a dairy in California had been infected -- bringing the total number of cases detected in the country to 16 in 2024.
"The deaths of 47 tigers, three lions and one panther at My Quynh Safari and Vuon Xoai Zoo amid the bird flu outbreak in Vietnam are tragic and highlight the risks of keeping wild animals in captivity," PETA Senior Vice President Jason Baker said in a statement to The Associated Press (AP).
"The exploitation of wild animals also puts global human health at risk, increasing the likelihood of another pandemic," Baker said.
Bird flu has caused hundreds of deaths worldwide, the vast majority of which involve direct contact between people and infected birds.
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