HANOI, Vietnam — Greater than a dozen tigers have been incinerated after the animals contracted hen flu at a zoo in southern Vietnam, officers mentioned.
State media VNExpress cited a caretaker at Vuon Xoai zoo in Bien Hoa metropolis saying the animals have been fed with uncooked hen purchased from close by farms. The panther and 20 tigers, together with a number of cubs, weighed between 10 and 120 kilograms (20 and 265 kilos) after they died. The our bodies have been incinerated and buried on the premises.
“The tigers died so quick. They appeared weak, refused to eat and died after two days of falling sick,” mentioned zoo supervisor Nguyen Ba Phuc.
Samples taken from the tigers examined optimistic for H5N1, the virus that causes hen flu.
The virus was first recognized in 1959 and grew right into a widespread and extremely deadly menace to migratory birds and domesticated poultry. It has since advanced, and lately H5N1 was detected in a rising variety of animals starting from canines and cats to sea lions and polar bears.
In cats, scientists have discovered the virus attacking the mind, damaging and clotting blood vessels and inflicting seizures and demise.
Greater than 20 different tigers have been remoted for monitoring. The zoo homes some 3,000 different animals together with lions, bears, rhinos, hippos, and giraffes.
Learn Extra: A New Hen Flu Demise Is Making Consultants Uneasy
The 30 employees members who have been taking good care of the tigers examined unfavorable for hen flu and have been in regular well being situation, VNExpress reported. One other outbreak additionally occurred at a zoo in close by Lengthy An province, the place 27 tigers and three lions died inside per week in September, the newspaper mentioned.
Uncommon flu strains that come from animals are often present in individuals. Well being officers in the USA mentioned Thursday that two dairy staff in California have been contaminated—making 16 whole circumstances detected within the nation in 2024.
“The deaths of 47 tigers, three lions, and a panther at My Quynh Safari and Vuon Xoai Zoo amid Vietnam’s hen flu outbreak are tragic and spotlight the dangers of protecting wild animals in captivity,” PETA Senior Vice President Jason Baker mentioned in a press release despatched to The Related Press.
“The exploitation of untamed animals additionally places international human well being in danger by growing the chance of one other pandemic,” Baker mentioned.
Hen flu has induced tons of of deaths around the globe, the overwhelming majority of them involving direct contact between individuals and contaminated birds.
