Since August, 47 tigers as well as three lions and a panther have died after being infected with the H5N1 virus in parks and zoos in southern Vietnam.
Animals in Vietnamese zoos and parks are not safe from bird flu. A total of 47 tigers, three lions and one panther died during August and September after contracting the H5N1 virus, reports the Vietnam News agency, the official press agency.
The animals belonged to the private My Quynh wildlife park, in Long An province, and the Vuon Xoai Zoo, in the town of Dong Nai, not far from the capital Ho Chi Minh City.
According to the results of tests conducted by the National Center for Animal Health, these animals died “because of the H5N1 type A virus.”
The tigers “appeared weak and refused to eat”
According to state media, a panther and 20 tigers died at Vuon Xai Zoo and had to be cremated before being buried. The animals were fed raw chickens from nearby farms, a zoo keeper said.
“The tigers died very quickly. They appeared weak and refused to eat. They died two days after falling ill,” explained Nguyen Ba Phuc, the zoo director.
More than twenty tigers were also placed in isolation in this zoo with more than 3,000 animals including lions, bears, rhinos and giraffes. In recent years, the avian flu virus has been detected in an increasingly diverse range of animal species, from cats and dogs to sea lions and polar bears.
Tests carried out on around thirty people working for the Vuon Xoai zoo turned out to be negative, although certain strains of avian flu can be transmitted to humans.
As indicated Associated PressAmerican health authorities reported two new cases in California on Thursday. A total of 16 people have been infected with bird flu in the United States since the start of the year.
