Bird Flu WipedOut 20 Big Cats in Washington Sanctuary

The Wild Felid Advocacy Center in Shelton, Washington remains closed after 20 of their big cats succumbed to the avian flu last December. The sanctuary, home to rescued cougars, bobcats, and other wild cats, announced the  news on Facebook.

“We are heartbroken to share that animal health officials have confirmed the presence of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) among over half of our wild felids as of December 2024.”

Among the dead: an Amul/Bengal tiger, cougars, bobcats, African servals, Canadian and Eurasian lynx, and Geoffroy and Bengal cats. At least three cats have survived the flu, while a fourth remains in critical condition.

“Cats are particularly vulnerable to this virus,” the sanctuary said in a statement,  “which can cause subtle initial symptoms but progress rapidly, often resulting in death within 24 hours due to pneumonia-like conditions.”

The sanctuary remains closed while it tries to figure out how the virus entered the grounds and how to clean up the place. They’ve removed about 8,000 pounds of frozen food to prevent more infection, and have started a sanitation process that’s expected to take months. Support the Wild Felid Advocacy Center by donating here.

The deadly strain of avian influenza (H5N1) has been in the US for three years, most prominently on poultry farms, where well over 100 million birds have died, either directly from the disease or in attempts to halt its spread. Wild birds are also dying, and in March of last year it was confirmed that H5N1 was sickening dairy cows. There have been isolated cases of infected house cats as well, including in indoor pets.

People are vulnerable too. So far there have been at least 61 human documented cases of H5 bird flu in the US, although it is believed many more cases have gone unreported. Last week the first severe illness was reported in Louisiana, in which the infected person required hospitalization.

Photo credit: Wild Felid Advocacy Center