Dozens of captive tigers and lions die in Vietnam, bird flu detected

3/10/2024 14:31

        Dozens of tigers and lions in captivity died in the past month in southern Vietnam with tests showing they were positive for bird flu.
        
        The Ministry of Health said in a statement, two samples taken from dead tigers at Mango Garden Resort in Dong Nai province have tested positive for the H5N1 strain of bird flu. Twenty tigers have died at the resort since early last month.
        
        The spread of highly pathogenic avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, to mammals including cows, dogs, cats and even dolphins worldwide has raised concerns about potential human-to-human transmission.
        
        State media reported, citing provincial agricultural authorities, in neighbouring Long An province, 27 tigers and three lions died from bird flu at My Quynh Safari from Sept. 6 to 18.
        
        Phan Van Phuc, an official of Dong Nai province's Centre for Disease Control, said in the health ministry statement, the tigers at Mango Garden Resort had been fed chicken before they died.