Twenty large cats — together with a Bengal tiger and 4 cougars — have died of chook flu at an animal sanctuary in Washington state over the previous a number of weeks.
“This tragedy has deeply affected our workforce, and we’re all grieving the lack of these magnificent animals,” Washington’s Wildlife Felid Advocacy Middle wrote in a Fb put up.
The devastating viral an infection, unfold by wild birds, is primarily unfold by respiratory secretions and bird-to-bird contact and can be contracted by mammals ingesting birds or different merchandise.
The sanctuary is underneath quarantine and closed to the general public to forestall the unfold of the virus, the assertion mentioned.
Sanctuary director Mark Matthews mentioned the animals died between late November and mid-December. The New York Times.
“We have by no means had that; they often die of outdated age,” he mentioned. “No such factor, it is a very evil virus.”
The information comes as chook flu continues to unfold amongst livestock and poultry within the US, whereas at the very least one human has additionally been severely contaminated.
The sanctuary mentioned it misplaced 5 African serval cats, 4 bobcats, two Canada lynxes and a Bengal tiger, amongst others. There are actually solely 17 cats left on the middle.
“Cats are significantly weak to this virus, which may trigger delicate preliminary signs however rapidly progress, usually resulting in pneumonia-like situations resulting in dying inside 24 hours,” the sanctuary mentioned in its assertion. Facebook statement on Friday.
Hen flu has lengthy contaminated poultry flocks within the US. However the virus first started infecting cattle within the US in March.
And since April 2024, there have been a complete of 61 human instances of chook flu within the U.S., in accordance with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention.
The CDC says the danger to most people stays low, and there was no sustained human-to-human transmission.
Most individuals have reported gentle signs, though this month an individual in Louisiana was hospitalized with a extreme case of chook flu.
Final week, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency over the outbreak within the state’s dairy cows to assist the federal government “have the sources and suppleness wanted to reply rapidly to this outbreak.”
