A deadly outbreak of bird flu has claimed the lives of over 20 tigers at a zoo in southern Vietnam.
The tigers, housed at Vuon Xoai Zoo in Bien Hoa City, succumbed to the disease after being fed infected raw chicken from nearby farms, according to officials. Bird flu is most commonly transmitted between infected birds and humans.
A panther and 20 tigers, including several cubs, succumbed to the illness. Each tiger weighed between 20 and 265 pounds at the time of death, and the group was cremated on-site.
Nguyen Ba Phuc, the zoo’s manager, told state media that the tigers became sick quickly and died within just two days of showing symptoms.
“The tigers died so fast. They looked weak, refused to eat, and died after two days of falling sick,” Phuc said.
Samples taken from the infected animals tested positive for the H5N1 virus, the strain responsible for bird flu. The 30 members of …