The fact that 72 tigers were killed suddenly in two of the most popular tourist parks in northern Thailand has brought serious questions to the visitors and locals.
Officials have now verified that the animals were not killed by bird flu, but rather a virus that is called canine distemper. This was announced during a press conference held in Bangkok, during which health authorities attempted to reassure people of their fears.
The tigers fell sick and were dead in a few ten days, between 8 and 18 in February. The two parks are in the Mae Taeng and Mae Rim district in Chiang Mai province which are separated by a distance of 30 kilometers.
They both function under the brand name Tiger Kingdom and each year, they receive a number of tourists. The parks were closed and investigations were made after the deaths.
What were the Death Causes of the Tigers?
Laboratory tests conducted on the animals by the Chiang Mai regional livestock office revealed genetic material of canine distemper virus (CDV) in the animals.
Authorities also reported the presence of bacterial infection but not avian influenza which is commonly referred to as bird influenza. Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat stated that no animal to human infection was associated with such an incident.
Canine distemper is an infectious virus, which attacks dogs and wild animals like big cats. It is transmitted via body fluids and it may also be transported in the air in close places. Specialists state that tigers housed in small volume areas, including those under stress or with minimal genetic diversity, would be prone to infections.
Monitoring Public Health
Even though the virus has not been identified to infect human beings, health officials have been tracking individuals that had close contact with the animals recently.
The Disease Control Department has indicated that, there will be a readiness of nationwide monitoring provisions in case any unusual symptoms are observed. Up to date, no associated diseases have been documented.
The carcasses of tigers were thoroughly inspected then cremated and buried. The authorities claimed that the remains were cleaned and disposed of in an appropriate way in order to avoid misuse or contamination.
Nevertheless, a veterinarian who is participating in the examinations raised the issue of the fact that the source of the infection is not known precisely. He indicated that food provided to the two parks might require some additional research.
Thailand has had severe cases of bird flu outbreaks in the past and this is the reason why the authorities acted fast to explain that the situation was not related.
With the identification and prevention measures, officials believe that people will not panic but instead, they are trying to understand how such a high number of infections could be caused within a limited amount of time.
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