47 tigers, 3 lions and a cheetah died in zoos in southern Vietnam due to infection with the H5N1 bird flu virus, according to what official media announced on Wednesday.
The official Vietnam News Agency reported that the deaths occurred in August and September at the My Quynh private safari park in Long An province, and the Phon Shuai Zoo in Dong Nai near Ho Chi Minh City.
According to the results of tests conducted by the National Center for Animal Health Diagnostics, the animals died “due to the H5N1 type A virus.”
The zoos declined to comment on the matter when contacted by Agence France-Presse.
The news agency report added that none of the zoo employees who were in close contact with the animals showed respiratory symptoms.
Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV), a non-governmental organization focusing on wildlife conservation, said that the total number of tigers living in captivity in Vietnam would reach 385 by the end of 2023.
About 310 tigers are kept in 16 privately owned farms and zoos, while the rest are in state-owned facilities.
The World Health Organization says that since 2022, there have been increasing reports of outbreaks of fatal diseases among mammals caused by influenza viruses, including the H5N1 virus.
It also says that H5N1 infection can range from mild to severe in humans, and in some cases it can be fatal.
Vietnam notified the World Health Organization of a human death due to the virus in March.
During 2004, dozens of tigers died from bird flu or were culled at the world’s largest breeding farm in Thailand.