Bird flu ripped through a Washington state wildlife sanctuary, killing 20 big cats, the center said in a Facebook post, calling the deaths a "significant loss."

Bird flu has taken a terrible toll at the Wild Felid Advocacy Center, a sanctuary for wildcats and their hybrids on Harstine Island.

Twenty big cats at a wild animal sanctuary in Shelton have died from the bird flu. It happened within a matter of days around Thanksgiving, and now the non-profit is preparing to clean so it can reopen to the public next year.

Workers at the sanctuary, located south of Seattle, are devastated after losing 20 big cats to bird flu in a matter of days.