Scientific Asia: Vietnam’s local media said that bird flu was the cause of the animals’ deaths.
The bird flu has killed 47 tigers, 3 lions, and 1 panther in South Vietnamese zoos, according to official media.
The animals die at the My Quynh Safari Park in Long An and the Vuon Xoai zoo in Dong Nai, near Ho Chi Minh City, VNA reported.
The animals die “because of the H5N1 type A virus,” according to test results from the National Centre for Animal Health Diagnosis, VNA reported.
No employees of the zoo had direct contact with the diseased animals, according to the report.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have reported a rise in influenza virus outbreaks in animals, particularly avian influenza A (H5).
In September, a patient in Missouri received a diagnosis of avian flu in the United States.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) reports that the patient, who had basic medical issues, was effectively treated with antiviral drugs at the hospital and has since been released.
The CDC alert states this is the first case of bird flu to emerge without contact with sick birds. It also makes 14 people across three states ill this year.
The prior 13 occurrences came after exposure to dairy cows or fowl.
Melissa Rudy of Fox News contributed to this article.
