Dozens of the animals in Chiang Mai region first began to show signs of illness earlier this month
A highly contagious virus is believed to have caused the deaths of 72 captive tigers in northern Thailand this month, with officials racing to contain the outbreak.
Teams are urgently disinfecting enclosures and preparing to vaccinate surviving animals.
The exact cause of death was unclear. A statement by the government’s region 5 livestock office for Chiang Mai said the animals had been infected with canine distemper virus, with veterinarians also identifying mycoplasma bacteria as a secondary infection.
Earlier, however, Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, director general of the department of livestock development within the Thai agricultural ministry, told the Thai outlet Matichon that the tigers had been infected with feline panleukopenia.
