An outbreak of the canine distemper virus (CDV) at the In-Sync Exotics Wildlife and Rescue Education Center in Wylie is threatening the lives of dozens of previously neglected and abused big cats including the school’s own, Jett the leopard.
According to the Star Local News, four of the big cats have already contracted the virus while 18 other lions and tigers are beginning to show symptoms. With the virus often deadly, the staff of In-Sync is doing what it can to prevent any loss of life.
“We are all frantic to save their life again,” Vicky Keahey, In-Sync founder and president said in an interview with Star Local News. “We did that when we rescued them, and we’re supposed to do that forever. Every effort that we have goes into saving them again.”
The outbreak is thought to have been started by raccoons with the cats contracting the virus by coming into contact with the urine or feces of an infected raccoon. But because distemper is a virus, it cannot be treated. According to Keahey, the only way to combat the outbreak is to boost the cats’ immune system through antibiotics and vitamins.
“I have been told that 50 percent of the animals will die. That’s what I’ve been told,” Keahey said to Star Local News. “But the person who told me that doesn’t know me, either. They don’t know In-Sync and how determined we are.”
