Mystery as 72 tigers suddenly die at Thai tourist park where visitors can touch the animals

Authorities in Thailand are investigating after 72 tigers died suddenly at a popular tourist park where visitors can touch and pose with the animals.

The deaths occurred in less than two weeks across two facilities at Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai this month.

The provincial livestock department said tests detected canine distemper virus, though officials have not confirmed how the outbreak began.

At a press conference on Tuesday, authorities said the virus was no longer spreading, and no further tiger deaths had been recorded. No humans were infected.

The remains of the tigers have been buried, and a recommendation was made for the gravely ill tigers be euthanised, authorities said.

More than 240 tigers were housed at the two sites, according to local media. 

The facility advertises close-up encounters, allowing tourists to pet and take photos with the big cats. 

Canine distemper is a highly contagious disease that attacks the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems. 

The deaths occurred in less than two weeks across two facilities at Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai this month

The provincial livestock department said tests detected canine distemper virus, though officials have not confirmed how the outbreak began

It is most common in dogs but can infect big cats, often fatally. Officials also said samples from carcasses tested positive for a bacteria linked to respiratory illness.

Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, director of the national livestock department, said detecting illness in tigers can be difficult. ‘By the time we realised they were sick, it was already too late,’ he told local media.

Authorities have collected samples from the animals, their food and their surroundings. 

In 2004, nearly 150 tigers died or were euthanised during a bird flu outbreak at a zoo in Chonburi province, also linked to raw chicken feed. 

Staff at the Chiang Mai park have been placed under observation for 21 days, though none have fallen ill, Thai PBS reported.

Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai has closed temporarily for two weeks while disinfection work is carried out. 

Animal rights groups said the outbreak exposed the risks faced by captive wildlife used for entertainment.

Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand said in a statement that the tigers’ deaths exposed the ‘extreme vulnerability of captive wildlife facilities to infectious disease’.

Tragedies like this would be far less likely to happen if tourists stayed away from these attractions, Peta Asia said in a statement.