Overview
- Local veterinary officials detected the highly contagious distemper virus and secondary bacterial infections in the dead tigers.
- Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai is temporarily closed as teams disinfect enclosures and prepare to vaccinate the remaining animals.
- At least 72 tigers died over several weeks, and a park spokesman said staff realized they were sick too late.
- Officials say distemper is harder to detect in tigers than in domestic dogs or cats, and vaccination is the only effective protection for animals.
- PETA condemned close-contact tourist tiger facilities, while authorities emphasized the virus does not pose a risk to humans.