The mass death of 72 tigers in Thailand raised alarms this week and highlighted the vulnerability of big cats in captivity.
The animals died between February 8 and 18 in two parks in Chiang Mai province, victims of the canine distemper virus (CDV), according to authorities.
“There has been no case of animal-to-human infection,” stated the Minister of Public Health, Pattana Promphat, at a press conference in Bangkok.
What the official investigation said about the mass death of tigers in Thailand
The necropsies performed on the animals found genetic material of the canine distemper virus and traces of bacterial infection.
The tigers that died in Thailand belonged to parks located in the districts of Mae Taeng and Mae Rim, operated under the name Tiger Kingdom, which remain closed.
The remains were disinfected, photographed, and incinerated and buried to prevent any further use. This was reported by Somchuan Rattanamangklanan, director general of the Department of Livestock Development.
CDV is an infectious virus for both dogs and felines. In cats and tigers, it can cause more severe symptoms and spreads through bodily fluids and the air.
Authorities noted that tigers in confined environments, already affected by stress and inbreeding conditions, like those in Thailand, are particularly vulnerable to this type of viral infection.
Questions about the origin of the contagion
A veterinarian who participated in the necropsies, Visit Arsaithamkul, expressed doubts about the origin of the outbreak in a Facebook post.
Arsaithamkul suspects that, since the two parks are only 30 kilometers apart, the source of contagion could be the food supplied to the animals from the same provider.
He refused to give more details when contacted by the press, and the operators of Tiger Kingdom also did not respond to requests for comments.
Among the risk factors identified by authorities for events like the death of the tigers in Thailand, the following stand out:
- Overcrowding and confinement conditions in animal parks
- Inbreeding and weakened immunity in captive populations
- Chronic stress in animals kept in captivity
- Possible contamination in the food chain of the specimens
Context: the threat of avian flu remains
The director general of the Department of Disease Control, Monthien Khanasawat, clarified that authorities monitor all people who had recent contact with the tigers.
“If we detect any sick person, we will prepare for a national surveillance measure,” assured Monthien. Goodbye, he also urged the population to be cautious with the consumption of poultry.
Thailand recorded 17 deaths among 25 patients infected by avian influenza between 2004 and 2007, according to the Ministry of Public Health, which explains the official sensitivity to any animal outbreak of viral origin.
The first transmission of avian flu from animal to human was detected in Hong Kong in 1997. Since then, the country has implemented strict surveillance protocols for any sign of the virus reemerging in the region.
