H5N1 Bird Flu Virus Kills 47 Tigers, 3 Lions In Vietnam Zoos

Forty-seven tigers, three lions and a panther died due to the H5N1 bird flu virus infection in zoos in south Vietnam, reported the country’s state media on Wednesday.

These deaths of big cats occurred in August and September at the private My Quynh Safari Park in Long An province and the Vuon Xoai zoo in Dong Nai, near Ho Chi Minh City, reported Vietnam News Agency (VNA).

Tests at the National Centre for Animal Health Diagnosis in Vietnam confirmed that the animals died “because of H5N1 type A virus”.

According to Education for Nature Vietnam (ENV), an NGO that focuses on wildlife conservation, there were a total of 385 tigers in captivity in Vietnam at the end of 2023. About 310 were at 16 privately owned farms and zoos, while the rest were housed in state-owned facilities.

In 2004, several tigers died from bird flu or were culled at the world’s largest breeding farm in Thailand.