Twenty large cats were killed by bird flu that ravaged a Washington state wildlife refuge, the center stated in a Facebook post, describing the fatalities as a “significant loss.”
Mark Mathews, director of the Wild Felid Advocacy Center in Shelton, told NBC affiliate KING of Seattle that the first cat became ill around Thanksgiving. The state has verified that its cats had avian flu at the beginning of December.
The refuge revealed the fatalities in a Facebook post on Friday. They consist of two Canada lynx, five African servals, four bobcats, four cougars, and one of each of the following: African caracal, Bengal cat, Amur/Bengal tiger, Geoffroy’s cat, and Eurasian lynx.
The sanctuary added, “This tragedy has deeply affected our team, and we are all grieving the loss of these incredible animals,” and it appealed to the public for help.
Mathews informed KING that he currently has 17 cats, down from 37 at the end of November.
The website of the refuge displayed some of the cats. According to the website, Tabbi, an endangered tiger that is half Amur and half Bengali, like to play in the water. After her mother was slain, Hannah, a cougar, was taken from Wyoming to the sanctuary as a cub. According to the website, Hannah was “sweet” and enjoyed “sneaking up on volunteers.” According to the website, Mouse, a Geoffroy’s cat and one of the tiniest creatures at the shelter, won over the hearts of everyone who saw her.
The deaths were a living nightmare, Mathews told KING.
“Every day, it s just kind of you wake up and you think hopefully it s a bad dream, but it s not,” he stated.
According to the Facebook post, health officials verified that over half of the animals in the sanctuary have avian influenza. The virus mostly spreads through the droppings and secretions of sick birds. It can be acquired by carnivorous mammals by contact with contaminated environments or diseased birds.
Cats are especially susceptible to bird flu, according to the sanctuary, and symptoms can worsen quickly, “often resulting in death within 24 hours due to pneumonia-like conditions.”
The sanctuary is under quarantine and will be closed until further notice in order to save the other animals and stop the spread.
The deaths occur as zoos nationwide have begun to implement preventative measures. One animal died at a zoo in Seattle, and five zoo animals outside of Phoenix perished from bird flu.
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