Twenty big cats, including a Bengal tiger, four cougars, one lynx, and four bobcats, have died after contracting bird flu at an animal sanctuary in Shelton, Washington.
The mass cat deaths were caused by avian influenza, a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza, rapidly spreading through poultry and dairy herds in the United States, infecting and killing domestic cats, and causing serious illness in humans in Louisiana. It occurred in response to
The big cats died at the Wild Cat Advocacy Center between late November and mid-December, said Mark Matthews, the center's director.
“We've never experienced anything like that. They usually die of basically old age.” Matthews told the New York Times.. “It's nothing like this. It's a pretty evil virus.”
Three other cats recovered from the virus, but one remained in critical condition on Tuesday. last week, The center announced on Facebook Bird flu has affected more than half of wild cats.
The announcement comes less than three weeks after the center said it had temporarily closed its doors to the public because some animals were suffering from an unknown illness.
“We are working tirelessly with our veterinary team to determine the cause and find a solution,” the shelter wrote on Facebook.
But on Dec. 6, the center announced that animal health officials had confirmed that some cats had avian influenza and said it was working with federal, state and county animal health officials.
“As an animal sanctuary, we will effectively control the virus by implementing strict biosecurity measures, isolating affected animals and properly disinfecting them to protect other animals and the public. We have a system in place,” he said.
However, in a Facebook post five days ago, the center said, “As of December 2024, animal health authorities have confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in more than half of our wild cats. I am sorry to have confirmed this.”
The center explained that avian influenza can also be transmitted by carnivorous mammals that consume infected birds and other products.
“Cats are particularly vulnerable to this virus, with initial symptoms being subtle but rapidly progressing, often leading to death within 24 hours from pneumonia-like symptoms.” The statement said:added that the center is under quarantine and will not remain open to the public until further notice.
Only 17 cats remain at the sanctuary, and work is underway to determine the source of the virus, including removing 8,000 pounds of food stored in a freezer and disinfecting each habitat.
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife stated in a statement This fall, the agency confirmed that “a large number” of wild birds were infected with avian influenza, and recently two cougars in another area were confirmed to be infected with the H5N1 virus.
The deaths were caused by Los Angeles health officials investigating three domestic cats believed to have been infected with avian influenza, after two other cats who died after drinking the recalled raw milk were also found to have avian influenza. The incident occurred six days after the announcement of the outbreak.
At a dairy plant in Texas earlier this year, 12 cats in the barn died After drinking infected raw milk.
In California, infected with bird flu This year, 645 dairy cows across most of the state's dairy herds tested positive for H5N1. At least 61 cases have been reported in the United States so far, with most people experiencing mild symptoms.
