Citing the result of a preliminary necropsy, officials said the tigers were infected with feline parvovirus and died as a result of a secondary bacterial infection, which resulted in complications, reports the Bangkok Post.
A total of 246 tigers were kept at Tiger Kingdom’s facilities in Mae Rim and Mae Taeng districts. As of Feb 18, 72 tigers had died - the largest incidence of mass deaths of captive tigers ever recorded.
The director of Protected Area Regional Office 16, Kritsayam Kongsatree, said yesterday that while some of the remains were incinerated, many of the carcasses ended up being buried due to capacity constraints.
Each grave was marked with flags and given an identification number corresponding to the individual tiger.
Disinfectants were applied to prevent topsoil contamination and the spread of the disease.
The process was carried out entirely by the tiger camp staff, under close supervision from the Department of Livestock Development and conservation officials, he said, adding both facilities in Mae Rim and Mae Taeng districts remain closed to the public.
Several veterinarians have raised their concerns about the origin of the outbreak, with some questioning whether the deaths were truly caused by a viral infection, or whether they were caused by contaminated food supplies.
One of the veterinarians at the site, Wisit Asaithamkul, expressed unease about the local disease surveillance system, suggesting that other causes may have been overlooked.
He warned that failing to address systemic weaknesses in disease surveillance could undermine not only animal health and wildlife conservation, but also human health.