20 succumb at Washington's Wild Felid Advocacy Center; meanwhile, a house cat dies in Oregon

Earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom declared an emergency in California over bird flu spreading in cattle there. Now, in a different West Coast state, nearly two dozen big cats have died at a sanctuary of H5N1. At least 20 animals at the Wild Felid Advocacy Center in Shelton, Washington -- including a Bengal tiger, four bobcats, four cougars, and a lynx -- succumbed after contracting avian influenza between late November and mid-December, says center founder Mark Mathews, per the Guardian. One cat as of Tuesday was still in critical condition, while three others had recovered from the virus, he notes.