Cheetah and mountain lion among animals to die after bird flu outbreak at Arizona zoo
.png "Bird flu has been reported in animals at the Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium in Litchfield Park.")
A cheetah and mountain lion are among five animals that died after a bird flu outbreak at an Arizona zoo, officials and media outlets reported.
The other animals, including three birds, a swamphen, an Indian goose and a Kookaburra, got sick at the Wildlife World Zoo & Aquarium in Litchfield Park, Arizona’s Family reported and Maricopa County Department of Public Health said in a Dec. 11 news release.
A white tiger also tested positive but is recovering, the news outlet said.
The avian influenza is a highly contagious virus that spreads among birds but can also infect other animals and humans, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
It has affected millions of birds and hundreds of dairy cattle herds in the U.S. this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported from a U.S. Department of Agriculture report.
What happened at the zoo?
The zoo noticed the sick animals and had them tested by the Arizona Department of Agriculture, which confirmed the animals were “likely ill from H5N1 avian flu,” health officials said.
It then isolated the sick animals to prevent the virus from spreading, health officials said.
Animals that may have been exposed to the sick animals were also quarantined.
Furthermore, the zoo limited workers from going into the affected areas unless they are wearing protective gear, and the facility is disinfecting areas, officials said.
Health officials said the zoo will continue to monitor birds and animals susceptible to the virus.
Any workers who are at high risk from close contact with the sick animals will be contacted by health officials.
“People who have job-related exposures to infected animals, especially close prolonged exposure, are at higher risk of infection,” Assistant Medical Director Nick Staab said in the release.
Zoo visitors shouldn’t worry too much, though.
The virus can spread to humans, but the “current public health risk is low,” according to the CDC.
There have been 58 reported human cases in the U.S., with 31 being reported in California and none in Arizona, the national public health agency said.
There have been zero reports of humans spreading the virus to another human, the CDC said.
Additionally, the flu has infected dairy herds in 16 states, including “527 herds in California, 64 in Colorado, 35 in Idaho, 29 in Michigan, 26 in Texas” and more, according to the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Most sick dairy animals have recovered from the illness, although birds have had a high mortality rate.
The virus was initially documented in wild birds in 2015.
Litchfield Park is about a 20-mile drive northwest from downtown Phoenix.
This story was originally published December 12, 2024 at 4:55 PM with the headline "Cheetah and mountain lion among animals to die after bird flu outbreak at Arizona zoo."
