
Twenty big cats, including a Bengal tiger and four cougars, have died from bird flu at an animal sanctuary in Washington over the past several weeks.
The Wild Felid Advocacy Center of Washington expressed deep sorrow on Facebook, stating that the loss of these animals has deeply affected their team.
Bird flu, a viral infection carried by wild birds, spreads mainly through respiratory secretions, bird-to-bird contact, or ingestion of infected birds by mammals.
To prevent the spread of the virus, the sanctuary is under quarantine and closed to the public.
The big cats died between late November and mid-December, with the sanctuary’s director, Mark Mathews, describing it as an unusual and devastating event.
The sanctuary reported losing five African serval cats, four bobcats, two Canada lynx, and a Bengal tiger, leaving only 17 cats at the center.
Cats are especially vulnerable to bird flu, which can cause rapid progression of symptoms, often resulting in death within 24 hours due to pneumonia-like conditions.
Bird flu, which has infected poultry flocks in the US for years, began affecting cattle in March 2024, and since April, 61 human cases of bird flu have been reported in the country.
The CDC maintains that the general public’s risk remains low, though one person was hospitalized with a severe case of bird flu in Louisiana this month.
In response to the outbreak among dairy cows, California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency to ensure quick and flexible government response.