Officials in northern Thailand are racing to contain a virus outbreak that has killed 72 captive tigers this month. The animals, housed in tourist attractions in the Chiang Mai region, began showing signs of illness on 8 February.
The exact cause of death remains unclear. The government's region 5 livestock office for Chiang Mai stated that the tigers were infected with canine distemper virus, with mycoplasma bacteria as a secondary infection. However, Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, director general of the department of livestock development, told Thai outlet Matichon that the tigers had been infected with feline panleukopenia.
Teams are urgently disinfecting enclosures and preparing to vaccinate surviving animals. The outbreak has affected two districts of Chiang Mai: Mae Rim and Mae Taeng. Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai, a popular zoo where visitors can interact closely with tigers, has been temporarily closed.
Kritsayarm Kongsatri, director of the wildlife conservation office in Chiang Mai, described the number of deaths as 'very unusual'. Treating sick tigers is challenging, as symptoms are often advanced by the time they are noticed, according to Somchuan.
This incident follows other tiger deaths in the region. Between August and October 2024, 47 tigers and three leopards died in south Vietnam after catching bird flu. In 2004, an outbreak of bird flu at Sriracha tiger zoo in eastern Thailand led to the deaths or euthanasia of 147 tigers.
