20 Big Cats Die From Bird Flu at a Washington Sanctuary

According to the facility’s director, 20 big cats, including one half-Bengal tiger and half-cougar, died from avian influenza from late November to mid-December at a shelter in Washington state.

“We’ve never experienced anything like that,” said Mark Matthews, founder and director of the Wildlife Advocacy Center in Shelton, Washington. “They usually die of old age, basically. It’s nothing like that. It’s a pretty evil virus.”

Three other cats have recovered from the virus, but one remained in critical condition as of Tuesday, he said.

sanctuary stated in a statement It was announced on Friday that the facility had been quarantined and would be closed until further notice while the habitat was disinfected.

The virus began appearing in the cougar population in November, when several cats developed pneumonia-like symptoms. Within days, other species began showing signs of the disease.

On November 23, the first cat, a cougar, died, and several other cats began to deteriorate in the following days. The last animal to die on December 13th was an African serval. Although some cats shared common walls between their habitats, there was no direct interaction.