53 big cats infected with H5N1 virus die

HANOI:

Forty-seven tigers, three lions and a panther have died in zoos in South Vietnam due to the H5N1 bird flu virus, state media said on Wednesday.

The deaths occurred in August and September at the private My Quynh Safari Park in Long An Province and the Vuon Xoai Zoo in Dong Nai, near Ho Chi Minh City, the official Vietnam News Agency (VNA) reported.

According to test results from the National Centre for Animal Health Diagnosis, the animals died "because of H5N1 type A virus", VNA said. The zoos declined to comment when contacted by AFP. No zoo staff members in close contact with the animals had experienced respiratory symptoms, the VNA report added.