Hanoi, Vietnam AP —More than a dozen tigers were incinerated after the animals contracted bird flu at a zoo in southern Vietnam, officials said. The panther and 20 tigers, including several cubs, weighed between 10 and 120 kilograms (20 and 265 pounds) when they died. Samples taken from the tigers tested positive for H5N1, the virus that causes bird flu. The 30 staff members who were taking care of the tigers tested negative for bird flu and were in normal health condition, VNExpress reported. Bird flu has caused hundreds of deaths around the world, the vast majority of them involving direct contact between people and infected birds.

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Persons: VNExpress, ”, Nguyen Ba Phuc, Jason Baker, ” Baker Organizations: Vietnam AP, Health, ” PETA, Associated Press Locations: Hanoi, Vietnam, Vuon, Bien Hoa, Long An, United States, California