Bird flu ripped via a Washington state wildlife sanctuary, killing 20 large cats, the middle mentioned in a Facebook submit, calling the deaths a “important loss.”
The first cat acquired sick round Thanksgiving, Mark Mathews, the director of the Wild Felid Advocacy Center in Shelton, advised NBC affiliate KING-TV of Seattle. By early December, the state had confirmed circumstances of chook flu of their cats.
In a Facebook submit on Friday, the sanctuary introduced the deaths. They embrace 5 African servals, 4 cougars, 4 bobcats, two Canada lynx, and one every of the next: Bengal cat, Amur/Bengal tiger, African caracal, Geoffroy’s cat and Eurasian lynx.
“This tragedy has deeply affected our group, and we’re all grieving the lack of these unbelievable animals,” the sanctuary mentioned, asking the group for help.
Mathews advised KING-TV that on the finish of November, he had 37 cats and now he has 17.
Some of the cats had been featured on the sanctuary’s web site. Tabbi, an endangered half-Bengal and half-Amur tiger, loved enjoying within the water, the location states. Hannah, a cougar, was dropped at the sanctuary as a cub from Wyoming after her mom was killed. The web site described Hannah as “candy” and mentioned she preferred “sneaking up on volunteers.” Mouse, a Geoffroy’s cat and one of many smallest animals on the sanctuary, captured the hearts of everybody who met her, the web site said.
Mathews advised KING-TV that the deaths had been a residing nightmare.
“Every day, it’s simply form of you get up and also you assume hopefully it’s a foul dream, but it surely’s not,” he mentioned.
Health officers confirmed that over half of the sanctuary’s animals had contracted avian influenza, the Facebook submit said. The virus primarily spreads via contaminated chook secretions and droppings. Carnivorous mammals can contract it by coming into contact with contaminated birds or a contaminated surroundings.
The sanctuary mentioned cats are notably susceptible to chook flu and signs can progress quickly, “typically leading to dying inside 24 hours on account of pneumonia-like circumstances.”
To shield the opposite animals and stop additional unfold, the sanctuary is underneath quarantine and can stay closed till additional discover.
The deaths come as zoos throughout the nation have began taking precautionary measures. Five zoo animals died from chook flu outdoors Phoenix, and one animal died at a zoo in Seattle.