Virus kills over 70 tigers at north Thailand park

A deadly virus and bacterial infection have killed at least 72 tigers at a private animal park in Thailand’s north in recent weeks, the authorities said.

The provincial livestock office in Chiang Mai said in a statement on Feb 20 that testing detected the highly infectious canine distemper virus (CDV) as well as bacteria affecting the respiratory system.

“When tigers fall ill, it is more difficult to detect than in animals like cats or dogs. By the time we realised they were sick, it was already too late,” national livestock department director Somchuan Ratanamungklanon told the local media.

The park where the deaths occurred, Tiger Kingdom, could not be reached for comment on Feb 21.

Its website advertises a chance for visitors to touch and take photos with the big cats.

The department was expediting post-mortem examinations after the 72 tigers at Tiger Kingdom’s two facilities in Chiang Mai – in Mae Rim and Mae Taeng districts – were reported to have died unusually since early February, reported Thai news outlet The Nation. The Mae Rim site has announced a temporary 14-day closure.

According to a report by the Protected Area Regional Office 16 (Chiang Mai), between Feb 8 and Feb 19, 21 tigers died at the Mae Rim site and 51 at the Mae Taeng site.

Following the incident, a veterinary disease investigation team from the Chiang Mai Provincial Livestock Office inspected the Mae Rim site, collected samples from tiger carcasses and feed, and sent them to the faculty of veterinary medicine at Chiang Mai University for detailed analysis.

Meanwhile, the remaining live tigers were relocated for quarantine and care at a nursing centre in Mae Taeng district.

Laboratory results reported to the Department of Livestock Development and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation initially confirmed that no genetic material of influenza A virus was detected. 

However, samples from the tigers tested positive for CDV – a virus that causes canine distemper in canids and can also be found in large wild cats – along with Mycoplasma spp, bacteria associated with respiratory disease. 

Co-infection can lead to severe pneumonia and complications, believed to have contributed to the large number of deaths.

The disease can affect the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems, and in some cases may progress to the nervous system. The authorities stressed that CDV is not a zoonotic disease, so the public does not need to worry about transmission to humans.

Mr Somchuan said he had ordered strict disease control measures, including thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting animal enclosures, isolating sick animals from the group, and preparing vaccinations for the remaining tigers to reduce the risk of further spread.

Investigators also cited contributing factors such as the potential for inbreeding in captive settings, which can weaken immunity and increase susceptibility to infection. In addition, tigers’ natural behaviour can make early symptoms difficult to detect, meaning clear signs may appear only after the disease has already become severe.

Officials have sprayed disinfectant across the sites and are closely monitoring the tigers still under care. The Thai public is urged to cooperate by reporting any unusual animal illness or deaths to the local livestock authorities immediately, so control measures can be implemented without delay.

“These tigers died the way they lived – in misery, confinement and fear,” animal rights organisation PETA Asia told AFP.

“If tourists stayed away, these places would quickly become unprofitable, and tragedies like this would be far less likely to happen,” the group added. AFP, THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK