Two Bengal tiger cubs at Bandung Zoo have died from a dangerous feline virus, highlighting biosecurity concerns at the troubled facility.

BANDUNG: Two Bengal tiger cubs born at an Indonesian zoo last year have died from a viral infection. The cubs, named Huru and Hara, were born in July to a tigress named Jelita, who remains healthy.

West Java’s conservation agency stated the cubs were infected at birth with Feline Panleukopenia virus (FPV). This virus can sicken wild and domestic cats and is particularly dangerous for young animals.

Spokesman Eri Mildrayana said Hara died on March 24, two days after falling ill. Huru died two days later despite veterinary efforts to save him.

The cubs suffered from diarrhoea, vomiting and lethargy before their deaths. Bandung mayor Muhammad Farhan expressed sadness over the loss on social media.

“This is an important lesson for us,” Farhan wrote. He stated the immediate step is to improve biosecurity at the facility.

The US National Institutes of Health notes FPV is often called “cat plague” or “feline distemper”. It usually occurs in unvaccinated or improperly vaccinated captive felines.

Bandung Zoo in West Java has been closed for months due to internal management problems. Activists demanded its closure in 2017 after skeletal sun bears were photographed begging for food.

AFP was unable to reach the city authorities who run the zoo. The Bengal tiger is classified as an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Fewer than 4,000 Bengal tigers remain in the wild, mostly in India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan.

 The Sun Malaysia