Vets Find First Canine Distemper In Tigers
New York veterinarians
have confirmed the first-known case of canine distemper in a wild Siberian
tiger.
The Wildlife
Conservation Society veterinarians who made the discovery are with the
group's Siberian Tiger Project and found the animal in the Russian Far
East.
Caninie distemper,
which is fatal in cats, could further threaten the endangered species,
the veterinarians said.
The adult female
tigress wandered into a Russian town, showing abnormal behavior. The vets
suspect it caught the disease from an infected domestic dog. Despite medical
intervention, the tiger died.
There are fewer
than 500 Siberian tigers left in the wilds of Russia.
In 1994 canine
distemper virus, linked to domestic dogs, killed a third of the lions in
the Serengeti.
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Copyright 2004 by United
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