72 tigers have died in two Chiang Mai parks in just 10 days, with the cause of death remaining unclear as teams monitor those who may have come into contact
Wasamon Audjarint and Emma O’Neill Content Editor
15:03, 24 Feb 2026Updated 15:04, 24 Feb 2026
72 tigers died in two Tiger Kingdom parks in the Mae Taeng and Mae Rim districts(Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
More than 70 tigers suddenly dropped dead at a wildlife park – with visitors who may have been exposed to them now being monitored.
72 tigers died in two Tiger Kingdom parks in the Mae Taeng and Mae Rim districts in Chiang Mai province, in Thailand, within just 10 days. The cause of the deaths remain unclear, but park teams are urgently disinfecting enclosures and caring for surviving animals.
The remains of the tigers have now been cremated and buried.
On Friday, the Chiang Mai regional livestock office announced that autopsies of the animals found genetic material of canine distemper virus (CDV) and traces of bacterial infection – but no avian influenza type A virus, also known as bird flu.
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“If we detect any sick persons, we will prepare for a nationwide monitoring measure,” said Monthien Khanasawat, director-general of the Public Health Ministry’s Disease Control Department. “This will include contact tracing and treatment as necessary.”
Mr Monthien spoke at a news conference in an apparent effort to reassure the public that the tigers’ deaths did not come from bird flu, which has been resurgent in parts of Asia. Thailand saw 17 deaths among 25 infected patients from poultry-caused influenza from 2004 to 2007, according to the Public Health Ministry.
CDV, infectious for both dogs and felines, can cause stronger symptoms in cats and tigers and can be spread through bodily fluids and air. Thai authorities said that tigers in confined environments, and which are already affected by stress and inbreeding, could be particularly vulnerable to the viral infection.
A tiger seen inside a cage in the tourist attraction ‘Tiger Kingdom’ (Image: Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
But Visit Arsaithamkul, a veterinarian involved in the analysis, expressed concern that the origins of the infections remain unclear. In a Facebook post, he suggested that as the two parks are only 18 miles apart, contaminated food from a common source could have contributed to the outbreak.
Both parks, operating under the Tiger Kingdom brand, remain closed.
Thai authorities remain alert to the threat of a bird flu outbreak. Mr Monthien urged Thais to take care with poultry consumption after a man in a neighbouring country was found infected with bird flu.
The first animal-to-human transmission of bird flu was recorded in Hong Kong in 1997 before a pandemic spread across Asia in 2003. In Thailand, tens of millions of poultry were culled during past outbreaks, and consumption plunged amid fears of infection.