Investigation into tiger deaths at Thai park

Fahad Redha

February 24, 2026
3 min read

Investigation into tiger deaths at Thai park

Authorities in the north of Thailand have opened an investigation following the deaths of dozens of tiger at a popular tourist attraction. Seventy two tigers within just two weeks at Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai have died. The park allows visitors to touch and interact with the big cats.

The local livestock department reported that samples from the animals showed evidence of canine distemper virus, though authorities have not confirmed how the outbreak occurred. The remains of the tigers have been cremated and buried.

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The two facilities at Tiger Kington Chiang Mai reportedly housed over 240 tigers.

“By the time we realised they were sick, it was already too late,” Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, director of the national livestock department, told local media. It was harder to identify illness in tigers compared with dogs or domestic cats, he added.

The provincial livestock officer in the region said that samples from the carcasses tested positive for the disease, along with a bacteria linked with respiratory conditions. An earlier investigation, they said, showed the tigers infected with that the tigers were infected with feline parvovirus, with some local officials previously suspecting the outbreak could have come from the food being fed to the animals.

Canine distemper virus is a contagious disease that targets respiratory, gastrointestinal, and nervous systems. It is often found in dogs but has also been known to affect big cats, and is often fatal.

Animal rights groups said that this highlights the poor conditions of the animals being used for entertainment. The deaths show “extreme vulnerability of captive wildlife facilities to infectious disease,” Wildlife Friends Foundation Thailand said.

Tiger Kingdom Chiang Mai has been temporarily closed for disinfection.

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