Tacoma, Wash. — Testing confirmed that a rare strain of avian Chlamydia abortus likely caused the deaths of three tufted puffins at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (PDZA) in July 2026, health and zoo officials announced Tuesday.
PDZA said no additional infected birds have been identified, and they plan to conduct precautionary environmental testing in Point Defiance Park.
Initial testing in July suggested the puffins died from avian psittacosis, caused by the bacterium Chlamydia psittaci. Further testing clarified that the deaths were linked to a related, rare strain of Chlamydia abortus.
While the strain can infect humans, no human cases associated with the incident have been identified.
The exact source of the bacterial infection remains unknown, though officials noted exposure from a wild bird is a possible cause.
Representatives from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Washington State Department of Health, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium are collecting environmental samples of bird feces throughout Point Defiance Park this month.
Staff directly handling samples will wear personal protective equipment.
The park and zoo remain open.
Laboratory testing of the environmental samples will be conducted at the University of Georgia.
Inside the zoo, staff plans to test healthy birds in the puffin habitat and conduct additional environmental testing inside the exhibit to ensure the bacteria is no longer detectable.
Preliminary testing inside the habitat in early August did not detect the bacteria.
Dr. Karen Wolf, head veterinarian at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, explained that staff are taking precautions before allowing visitors back into the habitat. “Our puffin colony continues to be closely monitored and are receiving attentive care from our veterinary team,” Wolf said. “We’re working closely with our public health and veterinary partners to better understand this unusual finding and we’ll reopen the puffin habitat to the public when we are confident it is appropriate to do so.”
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