BANGKOK: The Department of Livestock Development is expediting post-mortem examinations after 72 tigers at Mae Rim Tiger Kingdom in Chiang Mai and a second facility in Mae Taeng district were reported to have died unusually since early February 2026. The Mae Rim site has announced a temporary 14-day closure.
According to a report by Protected Area Regional Office 16 (Chiang Mai), between Feb 8 and Feb 19, a total of 72 tigers died across the two facilities—21 at the Mae Rim site and 51 at the Mae Taeng site.
Following the incident, a veterinary disease investigation team from the Chiang Mai Provincial Livestock Office inspected the Mae Rim Tiger Kingdom, collected samples from tiger carcasses and feed, and sent them to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Chiang Mai University for detailed analysis.
Meanwhile, the remaining live tigers were relocated for quarantine and care at a nursing centre in Mae Taeng district.
Laboratory results reported to the Department of Livestock Development and the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation initially confirmed that no genetic material of influenza A virus was detected.
However, samples from the tigers tested positive for canine distemper virus (CDV)—a virus that causes canine distemper in canids and can also be found in large wild cats—along with Mycoplasma spp., bacteria associated with respiratory disease.
Co-infection can lead to severe pneumonia and complications, which is believed to have contributed to the large number of deaths.
The disease can affect the respiratory and gastrointestinal systems, and in some cases may progress to the nervous system. Authorities stressed that CDV is not a zoonotic disease, so the public does not need to worry about transmission to humans.
Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, Director-General of the Department of Livestock Development, said he had ordered strict disease-control measures, including thorough cleaning and disinfection of animal enclosures, isolating sick animals from the group, and preparing vaccinations for the remaining tigers to reduce the risk of further spread.
Investigators also cited contributing factors such as the potential for inbreeding in captive settings, which can weaken immunity and increase susceptibility to infection. In addition, tigers’ natural behaviour can make early symptoms difficult to detect, meaning clear signs may only appear once the disease has already become severe.
Officials have now sprayed disinfectant across the sites and are closely monitoring the tigers still in care. The public is urged to cooperate by reporting any unusual animal illness or deaths to local livestock authorities immediately, so control measures can be implemented without delay.
Timeline summary
Protected Area Regional Office 16 (Chiang Mai) reported that 72 tigers at Mae Rim Tiger Kin
Feb 8: Authorities were initially contacted and informed that 31 tigers at Mae Taeng Tiger Kingdom appeared lethargic and had begun falling ill.
Feb 9: Mae Taeng Tiger Kingdom called the forest protection hotline 1362 to report one tiger in an enclosure had died with signs consistent with disease. A wildlife veterinarian from Regional Office 16 coordinated details and scheduled a post-mortem examination for Feb 11.
Feb 10: Mae Rim Tiger Kingdom called hotline 1362 to report three tigers had died in enclosures with symptoms similar to those reported at Mae Taeng.
Feb 11: Mae Taeng Tiger Kingdom reported four tiger deaths via hotline 1362. A wildlife veterinarian from Regional Office 16 oversaw the post-mortem examinations and collected tissue samples, which were sent for testing to Chiang Mai University’s veterinary forensic laboratory and to the Veterinary Research and Development Centre (Upper Northern Region) in Lampang under the Department of Livestock Development.
Feb 12: Mae Rim Tiger Kingdom reported 10 deaths, while Mae Taeng Tiger Kingdom reported 15 deaths—a combined total of 25 deaths that day. Regional Office 16 veterinarians and zoo-affairs officials inspected the situation and instructed both facilities to strictly comply with zoo management measures and standards on nutrition, sanitation and animal care under the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation regulations on zoo operations. The findings were reported to the Director of the Wildlife Conservation Division of Regional Office 16.
Feb 13: Mae Rim Tiger Kingdom reported four deaths, and Mae Taeng Tiger Kingdom reported 16 deaths—a combined total of 20 deaths that day. The office issued an order assigning the wildlife veterinarian to control, supervise, monitor and prevent zoonotic risks, and to oversee post-mortems at both facilities. A multi-agency meeting was held with representatives and veterinarians from both tiger parks, the Mae Rim district livestock office, officials from Livestock Region 5 (Chiang Mai), zoo-affairs staff, and the Director of the Wildlife Conservation Division. The meeting discussed carcass disposal planning and preliminary disease-control preparedness. Some officials also began disease investigation work at Mae Rim.
Feb 14: Mae Taeng Tiger Kingdom reported nine deaths. A second meeting was held to monitor the situation. Mae Rim Tiger Kingdom began relocating healthy tigers to Mae Taeng for quarantine and disease-control purposes, to reduce transmission risks and address safety concerns for staff and nearby communities, as well as to support behavioural assessment under restricted-area conditions. A total of 21 tigers were moved.
Feb 15: Mae Taeng Tiger Kingdom reported three deaths. Mae Rim Tiger Kingdom relocated a further 12 tigers to Mae Taeng, then carried out cleaning and disinfection of quarantine pens, storage areas and all feeding equipment, including washing down and spraying disinfectant.
Feb 16: Mae Rim Tiger Kingdom reported three deaths. Regional Office 16’s wildlife veterinarian followed up on the situation at both Mae Rim and Mae Taeng.
Feb 17: Mae Rim Tiger Kingdom reported three deaths. Regional Office 16’s wildlife veterinarian continued monitoring at both sites.
Feb 18: Mae Rim Tiger Kingdom reported one death.
Feb 19: Zoo-affairs officials from the Wildlife Conservation Division of Regional Office 16 continued follow-up monitoring at Mae Rim Tiger Kingdom. - The Nation/ANN
