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.

An animal sanctuary in Washington is under quarantine after 20 big cats died amid a bird flu outbreak, the Wild Felid Advocacy Center announced. Read online:

Twenty big cats have died after contracting bird flu at a Washington State animal sanctuary. The Wild Felid Advocacy Center of Washington in the city of Shelton announced the deaths on December 20. Just two weeks prior, officials confirmed the presence of bird flu in the sanctuary, which forced the center to close and quarantine.