HARSTINE ISLAND, Wash. — The Wild Felid Advocacy Center near Shelton is suffering the devastating loss of 20 wild cats after bird flu swept through the big cat sanctuary.
The first deaths came in November, but bird flu was confirmed just a few days ago. Now, the sanctuary is dealing with those deaths and health protocols after the disease wiped out more than half of their big cat population.
The people who run this sanctuary here on Harstine Island say the death of the cats feels like a death in the family.
Now, they are trying to figure out how the cats caught the viral infection, and how to keep those remaining safe.
“They’re drowning, basically, in their own lungs,” said Melinda Mathews.
Melinda Mathews lives here full-time with her husband, Mark, who founded the nonprofit in 2006.
“They were immensely suffering,” Melinda said, her face drawn in sadness. “It was the hardest thing, so hard.”
The first to get sick was a cougar, Hannah Wyoming, back in mid-November. The veterinarian thought she had cancer. And when Crackle, an African Caracal got sick, the vet thought the cause was cancer, too.
But the big cats died and others soon followed.
“Basically, we’ve lost a cat every day for about two and a half weeks,” Mark said.
Finally, on December 17th, the Washington State University veterinary lab came back with the devastating news. The cats were dying from bird flu.
“Bird flu is real,” said Mark. “And it’s been verified at our sanctuary.”
When asked if he felt like he let the cats down, Mark said, “In a way. I feel like I could have done something better. But I’m not sure what that would have been besides testing the food source.”
Now, the sanctuary is under quarantine with strict protocols to keep the 17 cats who remain alive. They must disinfect their footwear, don masks and gloves, and, depending on how close they will be to the cats, wear gowns.
All of these protocols must be followed while mourning the loss of the animals they devoted their lives to protect.
“I miss them so much,” said Melinda. “It’s just empty. It’s empty without them.”
They believe the food may have been the source of the bird flu. So, they have thrown out around 8,000 pounds of food.
While they do believe the remaining cats will survive, they need donations to pay for all of the work that will have to be done here to stay open.
You can visit their website at: wildfelids.org
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