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Outbreak Kills More Than 70 Tigers at Thailand Park

Officials blame canine distemper outbreak
Posted Feb 24, 2026 6:15 PM CST
Thailand Probes Outbreak After 72 Tigers Die at Park
In this handout released by Tiger Kingdom sanctuary in Chiang Mai, bodies of dead tigers are laid out in preparation for autopsies near a crematorium, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026.   (Tiger Kingdom sanctuary in Chiang Mai via AP)

A tourist attraction in northern Thailand where visitors can stroke big cats is now under investigation after a rapid-fire outbreak killed 72 tigers in less than two weeks. Authorities in Chiang Mai say the animals, housed at two facilities run by Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai, tested positive for canine distemper virus and a respiratory-related bacteria, though how the disease spread remains unclear, the BBC reports. The park, home to more than 240 tigers before the deaths, has been temporarily shut while officials disinfect the site.

The head of Thailand's national livestock department said staff realized the animals were sick too late, noting illness is harder to detect in tigers than in pets like dogs or cats. Veterinarians and other workers are being monitored for 21 days, though none have fallen ill so far. Earlier tests had pointed to feline parvovirus, and some officials initially suspected contaminated raw chicken, which was the suspected cause of a 2004 bird flu outbreak that caused the deaths almost 150 tigers at another zoo, some of which were euthanized to stop the outbreak from spreading.

The case has reignited criticism of Thailand's tiger tourism industry, with PETA Asia urging tourists to avoid such attractions because of the animals' poor living conditions. Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand called the deaths a warning about the dangers of prioritizing "entertainment over animal welfare and conservation," the South China Morning Post reports. "Because of inbreeding there is a very big chance of weakness eventually," said Edwin Wiek, the group's founder. "It is very common to see them more vulnerable to diseases, viruses, bacteria, bone deficiency."

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