Twenty big cats die after contracting bird flu at Washington State animal sanctuary
Share:
The sanctuary has now begun a months-long sanitation process. Twenty big cats have died after contracting bird flu at a Washington State animal sanctuary. The Wild Felid Advocacy Center of Washington in the city of Shelton announced the deaths on December 20. Just two weeks prior, officials confirmed the presence of bird flu in the sanctuary, which forced the center to close and quarantine.
![[A bobcat pictured at a sanctuary in Colorado. Four bobcats are among those now dead after bird flu swept through the Wild Felid Advocacy Center of Washington]](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/12/25/21/GettyImages-129892491.jpg)
“Now, we turn to the community for support as we focus on the care and recovery of our surviving felids,” the statement continued. “The mounting medical costs, even at discounted rates, have placed a significant financial strain on our sanctuary.”.
The sanctuary included a full list of the cats who passed away: Tabbi, a half-Bengal tiger; Crackle, an African caracal; Mouse, a Geoffroy’s cat; Pebbles, a Bengal cat; Thumper, a Eurasian lynx; cougars Hooligan, Holly, Harley and Hannah Wyoming; Canada lynx cats Chuckie and P’uch’ub; bobcats Digger, Willie Bob, Ruffian and Tank; and African servals Nile, Percival, Nefertiti, Blondie and Shasta.
Caretakers first noticed the cats developing pneumonia-like symptoms in November, The New York Times reports. The virus, unknown at the time, spread quickly. The first cat to die was one of the cougars, while an African serval was the last to die on December 13.
Now, the sanctuary is home to just 17 cats, according to the Times. Workers quickly removed the 8,000 pounds of freezer-stored food to prevent any further infections. Now, they’re working through a sanitation process that could take months to complete, founder and director Mark Mathews told the paper.
