In brief
A severe bird flu outbreak at a Washington animal sanctuary has resulted in the deaths of 20 big cats, prompting a quarantine and public closure as the facility mourns the loss and addresses the spread of the virus.
Over the past few weeks, the Wild Felid Advocacy Center of Washington has been devastated by the death of 20 big cats, including a Bengal tiger and four cougars, due to a bird flu outbreak. The sanctuary confirmed the deaths in a heartfelt post on Facebook, stating, "This tragedy has deeply affected our team, and we are all grieving the loss of these incredible animals."The highly infectious avian virus, which spreads primarily through respiratory secretions and bird-to-bird contact, can also affect mammals that consume birds or their products. Consequently, the sanctuary has implemented a quarantine and is closed to the public as a precautionary measure.Sanctuary director Mark Mathews informed the New York Times that the animals perished between late November and mid-December. "We've never had anything like it; they usually die basically of old age," he remarked. "Not something like this, it's a pretty wicked virus."In addition to the Bengal tiger, the casualties included five African serval cats, four bobcats, and two Canada lynx. The sanctuary is now left with just 17 cats remaining. The statement highlighted that cats are particularly susceptible to bird flu, which can start with mild symptoms but may escalate rapidly, often leading to pneumonia-like conditions and death within 24 hours.The avian influenza had long affected poultry flocks in the U.S., but since March, the virus has begun infecting cattle for the first time. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a total of 61 human cases of bird flu in the U.S. since April 2024, though the overall threat to public health remains low, with no significant human-to-human transmission observed. Most infected individuals have expressed mild symptoms, with only one severe hospitalization reported in Louisiana this month.As California grapples with its own outbreak among dairy cows, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency last week to provide the necessary resources for an effective response to the crisis.
