NEW YORK, Sept. 2 (UPI) -- New York veterinarians have confirmed the first-known case of canine distemper in a wild Siberian tiger.
The Wildlife Conservation Society veterinarians who made the discovery are with the group's Siberian Tiger Project and found the animal in the Russian Far East.
Caninie distemper, which is fatal in cats, could further threaten the endangered species, the veterinarians said.
The adult female tigress wandered into a Russian town, showing abnormal behavior. The vets suspect it caught the disease from an infected domestic dog. Despite medical intervention, the tiger died.
There are fewer than 500 Siberian tigers left in the wilds of Russia.
In 1994 canine distemper virus, linked to domestic dogs, killed a third of the lions in the Serengeti.
