RATCHABURI, Sept 17 (TNA) – Head of the Khao Prathap Chang Wildlife Breeding Center in Ratchaburi confirmed tigers, confiscated from the infamous temple have been under good care while veterinarians said the mass tiger deaths were caused by viral infections.
Bunpote Maleehuan, Chief of the center said that officials at the wildlife station put their full effort into taking care of all tigers and he confirmed that fangs, skin and bones of the dead tigers remained.
Bunpote said his facility has wide space and a pond for the tigers to relax, teams of veterinarians to take good care of them. They were fed with fresh chicken like what they eat in the wild, not boiled chicken, given to them at the temple.
It is the first time tigers in Thailand were infected with the canine distemper virus and there is no medication to cure the disease in tigers, said Anurak Sakulpong, a veterinarian at the Khao Prathap Chang wildlife breeding station.
The tigers were treated when symptoms came up.
Among the remaining 31 tigers at the center, three tigers are in critical condition. The veterinarians have planned to treat them by laryngeal surgery and they will work with their peers from Mahidol University to produce vaccines against the canine distemper virus.
The Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation seized 147 tigers from the tiger temple tourist attraction, Wat Pha Luang Ta Bua Yanasampanno in Kanchanaburi three years ago.
Eighty five tigers were sent to the Khao Prathap Chang wildlife breeding center and the rest were moved to another facility, Pa Khao Son wildlife breeding center, 20 km. away.
Out of all 147 tigers, 86 gradually died after developing laryngeal paralysis and canine distemper diseases. (TNA)
