Over 70 tigers die in sudden virus outbreak at Thai tourist park PHOTO

Thai authorities are investigating the sudden deaths of 72 tigers at Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai, a popular attraction where visitors can touch, feed and pose for photographs with the animals.

The deaths occurred within less than two weeks this month across two facilities operated by the park, prompting officials to launch an urgent disease-control response, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

Thailand’s provincial livestock department said laboratory tests detected canine distemper virus — a highly contagious disease that affects the respiratory, gastrointestinal and nervous systems. While it is most commonly found in dogs, the virus can infect large felines and is frequently fatal in such cases. Officials have yet to confirm how the outbreak began.

At a press conference on February 24, authorities said the virus was no longer spreading and that no additional tiger deaths had been recorded. No human infections have been reported.

More than 240 tigers were housed across the two sites, according to local media. The park markets close encounters with the big cats, allowing tourists to pet them and take photographs at close range — a practice long criticised by animal welfare groups.

Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, director of Thailand’s national livestock department, said early detection in tigers can be challenging. “By the time we realised they were sick, it was already too late,” he told local media.

Officials have buried the animals’ remains and recommended euthanising those that were gravely ill. Samples have been collected from carcasses, food supplies and surrounding areas as investigators seek to determine the source of the infection. Authorities also said some samples tested positive for bacteria associated with respiratory illness.

Staff at the Chiang Mai facility have been placed under medical observation for 21 days, though none have fallen ill, according to reports by Thai PBS. The park has closed temporarily for two weeks while disinfection procedures are carried out.

The outbreak has reignited debate over wildlife tourism in Thailand. The Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand said the incident highlighted the “extreme vulnerability of captive wildlife facilities to infectious disease”. Meanwhile, PETA Asia argued that such tragedies underscore the risks of keeping wild animals in entertainment venues.

Thailand has previously faced similar incidents. In 2004, nearly 150 tigers died or were euthanised during a bird flu outbreak at a zoo in Chonburi province, reportedly linked to contaminated raw chicken feed.

Investigators are now working to establish whether feed, human contact or other environmental factors played a role in the latest outbreak — and whether tighter controls may be required for facilities that offer direct interaction with captive wildlife.

By Aghakazim Guliyev