The 5-acre sanctuary is now under strict quarantine, Mathews said. Authorities are investigating how the big cats contracted bird flu, he added. Highly pathogenic strains of H5N1 influenza have been spreading in animals and to a lesser extent in people ...

Bird flu has been on the rise in Washington state and one sanctuary was hit hard: 20 big cats – more than half of the facility’s population – died over the course of weeks.

The animals - including a Bengal tiger, cougars and bobcats - have died of the virus over the past several weeks.