In recent weeks, at least 72 tigers have died at the Chiang Mai Tiger Kingdom park, popular with tourists visiting northern Thailand.
"Once we realized they were sick, it was already too late," Somchuan Ratanamungklanon, head of the country's national livestock authority, told local media.
Tests on the tigers detected the deadly and highly contagious viral disease distemper, as well as bacteria affecting the respiratory tract, local authorities announced on Friday. The Bangkok Post also mentioned feline distemper.
At the park, visitors are allowed to pet and take pictures with the big cats.
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"These tigers died the same way they lived - in misery, captivity and fear," says the animal rights organization Petas Asiengren.
