Hanoi:
Forty-seven tigers, three lions and a panther have died in zoos in south Vietnam because of the H5N1 hen flu virus, state media stated Wednesday.
The deaths occurred in August and September on the non-public My Quynh safari park in Lengthy An province and the Vuon Xoai zoo in Dong Nai, close to Ho Chi Minh Metropolis, the official Vietnam Information Company (VNA) reported.
In keeping with take a look at outcomes from the Nationwide Centre for Animal Well being Prognosis, the animals died “due to H5N1 kind A virus”, VNA stated.
The zoos declined to remark when contacted by AFP.
No zoo workers members in shut contact with the animals had skilled respiratory signs, the VNA report added.
Training for Nature Vietnam (ENV), an NGO that focuses on wildlife conservation, stated there have been a complete of 385 tigers residing in captivity in Vietnam on the finish of 2023.
About 310 are saved at 16 privately owned farms and zoos, whereas the remainder are in state-owned amenities.
The World Well being Organisation (WHO) says that since 2022, there have been rising reviews of lethal outbreaks amongst mammals attributable to influenza viruses, together with H5N1.
It additionally says H5N1 infections can vary from gentle to extreme in people, and in some instances may even be deadly.
Vietnam notified the WHO a few human fatality from the virus in March.
In 2004, dozens of tigers died from hen flu or had been culled on the world’s largest breeding farm in Thailand
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