At least 72 tigers have died in recent weeks at a private animal park in northern Thailand due to a deadly virus and bacterial infection, authorities confirmed.
The provincial livestock office in Chiang Mai said laboratory tests found the highly contagious canine distemper virus along with bacteria that affect the respiratory system.
Officials explained that it is harder to notice illness in tigers compared to domestic animals like cats or dogs. Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, director of the national livestock department, said that by the time the animals’ sickness was detected, it was already too late.
The deaths occurred at Tiger Kingdom, a park known for allowing visitors to interact with and take photos alongside tigers. The park did not respond to requests for comment.
Animal rights group PETA Asia strongly criticized the conditions in which the animals were kept, saying the tigers died after living in misery, confinement, and fear. The organization added that if tourists avoided such attractions, they would become less profitable and similar tragedies would be less likely to happen.
