A wildlife conservation for big cats in Washington has lost more than half of the animals at its sanctuary after they contracted bird flu.
The Wild Felid Advocacy Center announced late last week that 20 big cats were killed around Thanksgiving shortly after they started showing signs of being sick.
Cats are particularly vulnerable to contracting bird flu and can die as quickly as 24 hours after becoming infected, the center said.
The following animals died from the outbreak: 1 Amur/Bengal Tiger, 4 Cougars, 1 African Caracal, 2 Canada Lynx, 1 Geoffroy Cat, 1 Bengal Cat, 1 Eurasian Lynx, 4 Bobcats, and 5 African Servals.
The center said that the virus is carried by wild birds and spreads through respiratory secretions, bird-to-bird contact, and carnivorous mammals that ingest birds.
The center announced that it was closed indefinitely while it quarantined the other animals and worked to clean the five acres of land that it is located on. It said that it was in contact with state and federal officials over the incident.
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“This tragedy has deeply affected our team, and we are all grieving the loss of these incredible animals,” the center said in a statement. “Now, we turn to the community for support as we focus on the care and recovery of our surviving felids. The mounting medical costs, even at discounted rates, have placed a significant financial strain on our sanctuary.”
Wild Felid Advocacy Center Director and Co-Founder Mark Mathews told KOMO News that he never thought an incident like this could impact his sanctuary because the cats are spread out and are not kept close to each other.
“Tabbi, she was my favorite tiger,” Mathews said. “Before Thanksgiving, we had 37 cats. Today, we have 17 cats, [including] four recovering.”
The center said that usually if the animals were sick, a veterinarian would visit, treat the animal, and the animal would rapidly recover.
However, with the bird flu, the animals “made it pretty obvious” that the visit from the vet did not make a difference.
Related: America’s First Severe Case Of Bird Flu Confirmed; California Declares Emergency
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A wildlife conservation for big cats in Washington has lost more than half of the animals at its sanctuary after they contracted bird flu.
The Wild Felid Advocacy Center announced late last week that 20 big cats were killed around Thanksgiving shortly after they started showing signs of being sick.
Cats are particularly vulnerable to contracting bird flu and can die as quickly as 24 hours after becoming infected, the center said.
The following animals died from the outbreak: 1 Amur/Bengal Tiger, 4 Cougars, 1 African Caracal, 2 Canada Lynx, 1 Geoffroy Cat, 1 Bengal Cat, 1 Eurasian Lynx, 4 Bobcats, and 5 African Servals.
The center said that the virus is carried by wild birds and spreads through respiratory secretions, bird-to-bird contact, and carnivorous mammals that ingest birds.
The center announced that it was closed indefinitely while it quarantined the other animals and worked to clean the five acres of land that it is located on. It said that it was in contact with state and federal officials over the incident.
CHECK OUT THE DAILY WIRE HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE
“This tragedy has deeply affected our team, and we are all grieving the loss of these incredible animals,” the center said in a statement. “Now, we turn to the community for support as we focus on the care and recovery of our surviving felids. The mounting medical costs, even at discounted rates, have placed a significant financial strain on our sanctuary.”
Wild Felid Advocacy Center Director and Co-Founder Mark Mathews told KOMO News that he never thought an incident like this could impact his sanctuary because the cats are spread out and are not kept close to each other.
“Tabbi, she was my favorite tiger,” Mathews said. “Before Thanksgiving, we had 37 cats. Today, we have 17 cats, [including] four recovering.”
The center said that usually if the animals were sick, a veterinarian would visit, treat the animal, and the animal would rapidly recover.
However, with the bird flu, the animals “made it pretty obvious” that the visit from the vet did not make a difference.
Related: America’s First Severe Case Of Bird Flu Confirmed; California Declares Emergency
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