Bird flu kills more than 75% of baby seals on remote Australian island, study finds
Researchers say H5 bird flu killed 13,359 southern elephant seal pups and spread to penguins and fur seals in a remote Australian territory.
- On Wednesday, researchers reported that H5 bird flu killed an estimated 13,359 southern elephant seal pups on Heard Island, wiping out nearly 80 per cent of the pup population on the remote Australian territory.
- Scientists believe the highly pathogenic avian influenza reached the islands in August last year, likely arriving via infected wildlife from the Crozet Islands, 1,700 kilometres away.
- Researchers utilized 120 drone flights to survey the coastline, revealing an average mortality rate of about 76 per cent; in some seal harems, the virus proved even more devastating, with mortality rates hitting 97 per cent.
- Experts warn the outbreak poses a 'potentially catastrophic' threat to wildlife, with the virus also detected in king penguins and gentoo penguins; the federal government invested $113 million to strengthen preparedness.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Australia reports bird flu has killed 13.000 elephant seal pups in Heard and McDonald islands
The pathogenic strain of bird flu, H5N1 has killed more than 13,000 elephant seal pups after infecting a breeding colony on a sub-Antarctic volcanic island, Australian scientists from the Antarctic Program discovered.
A deadly strain of avian influenza that is spreading through remote islands near Antarctica has devastated the population of native fauna, causing the death of approximately 13,000 young seals, as well as penguins and seabirds,...
Thousands of baby seals died on two remote sub-Antarctic islands. Scientists now think they know why
A deadly strain of bird flu sweeping through remote islands near Antarctica has devastated the native wildlife population, killing an estimated 13,000 seal pups, as well as penguins and seabirds, researchers say.
Scientists finalize H5 bird flu findings from Heard Island and McDonald Island voyages
Australian Antarctic Program scientists are contributing to global understanding of the spread of H5 avian influenza (bird flu) with the release of findings from recent voyages to the remote sub-Antarctic Heard Island and McDonald Islands. The team has submitted its findings about mortality levels and the virus's likely pathway to Heard Island to a scientific journal for consideration. The study is available on the bioRxiv preprint server.
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