Authorities in Chiang Mai, a city in northern Thailand, are investigating the deaths of dozens of tigers at a popular tourist attraction.
Seventy-two tigers died in the span of less than two weeks this month, across two facilities of Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai, a park where visitors can touch and interact with the big cats.
The local livestock department said samples from the tigers showed canine distemper virus – though authorities have not confirmed how the outbreak happened.
Officials told a news conference on Tuesday the virus was no longer spreading and no more tigers were dying. No humans had been infected, they added.
The remains of the tigers have all been buried and a recommendation was made for the gravely ill tigers be euthanised, authorities said.
The big cats were among more than 240 tigers living across the two facilities at Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai, according to local media.
Canine distemper virus is a highly contagious disease that attacks the host’s respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems. While it is typically found among dogs, it can also infect big cats.
Besides canine distemper virus, the provincial livestock office in Chiang Mai said last week that samples from the tigers’ carcasses also tested positive for a bacteria associated with respiratory disease.
By Anthony Solly
