Seven more tigers die from bird flu at Thai zoo

October 20, 2004

October 20, 2004

Agence France Presse English/Reuters

BANGKOK - Officials were cited as saying Wednesday

that seven more tigers have died from bird flu at a

private zoo in Thailand, bringing to 30 the number of

big cats that have succumbed to the virus in the past

week.

The stories say that 23 other tigers have also fallen

ill from the virus which has spread unchecked through

the Sri Racha Tiger Zoo in central Chonburi province.

The zoo, home to about 440 tigers, has been closed to

the public.

Saravudh Suvannababba, head of Thailand's bird flu

prevention centre, was quoted as telling AFP that, " We

have found seven more tigers have died and preliminary

laboratory test results at both the livestock

development department and the veterinarian faculty at

Kasetsart University found the bird flu virus. "

The latest fatalities were among the 30 identified as

sick on Tuesday and placed in quarantine after they

developed bird flu-like symptoms, he said.

Charal Trinvuthipong, the head of Thailand's task

force combatting bird flu, was cited as saying that

zoo keepers have been advised to use human anti-virus

drug therapy to see if it works on the tigers, which

first fell ill on October 14.

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