There’s a new pandemic, but it’s not affecting humans…yet. This time, it’s bird flu, and it’s taking out tigers and other animals in Vietnam zoos.
Bird flu has claimed the lives of 47 tigers, three lions, and a panther in zoos located in southern Vietnam, according to state media reports. The Vietnam News Agency (VNA) confirmed that the animals perished in the My Quynh safari park, located in Long An province, and the Vuon Xoai zoo in Dong Nai, near Ho Chi Minh City.
The animals were diagnosed with the H5N1 type A virus, commonly known as avian influenza. The National Centre for Animal Health Diagnosis conducted tests and confirmed that this deadly strain of bird flu was responsible for the deaths of the big cats. The outbreak has raised concerns as bird flu, typically associated with poultry, has increasingly been reported in mammal populations.
Remarkably, no zoo staff members were reported to have been in close contact with the infected animals, suggesting that the transmission might have been contained to the animals themselves. However, the fatal consequences for the zoo’s tigers, lions, and panther underscore the lethal potential of the virus when it spreads beyond avian species.
The bird flu outbreak in Vietnam mirrors a global trend, with recent reports from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) noting an increase in cases of avian influenza infecting mammals. This includes an uptick in human cases in the U.S., where bird flu has recently infected 14 people across three states. Notably, a patient in Missouri was diagnosed with bird flu in September, marking the first case in the U.S. where the infection occurred without any direct exposure to infected animals. This has heightened concern about the virus’s potential to spread among humans, though so far, most cases have involved individuals working in close contact with poultry or livestock.
The deaths of these majestic animals in Vietnam have reignited fears about the impact of bird flu on wildlife and the potential for future cross-species transmission. This troubling event has also placed increased attention on the need for rigorous biosecurity measures in both zoos and wildlife sanctuaries to protect vulnerable animal populations from future outbreaks.
Remember how easy it is for these viruses to jump to humans…Vietnam has had repeated problems with bird flu claiming the lives of humans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxAIC1XH2M4
After 2020, we need to be vigilant…