BIRD FLU KILLS OVER 75% OF BABY SEALS ON AUSTRALIAN ISLAND

Bird flu has killed thousands of southern elephant seal pups on the Heard and McDonald Islands, remote territory belonging to Australia located approximately 4,000 kilometres south-west of the Australian mainland. Scientists estimate that roughly 13,000 baby seals from a population of 17,000 on Heard Island died from the H5N1 strain since August, representing more than 75% of the group. The research also identified higher than expected mortality rates among penguin populations on the islands. The data came from drone surveys and ground visits conducted in October and January, during which scientists collected samples from nine species.

Six of the nine species tested positive for H5N1: southern elephant seals, king penguins, gentoo penguins, Antarctic fur seals and South Georgia diving petrels. The outbreak was first detected when a research voyage discovered hundreds of dead baby seals in late last year. Subsequent fieldwork in January confirmed that H5N1 had primarily affected southern elephant seal pups, with a comparatively smaller impact on king and gentoo penguin populations. In one surveyed area, 97% of baby seals had died. Several hundred adult king penguins also died, though this represented only a small proportion of the total population but exceeded normal mortality levels.

The research, published in the scientific journal BioRxiv and awaiting peer review, marks the first documented spread of H5N1 to a significant mammal population in the Southern Hemisphere. Australia remains the only continent without recorded cases of the H5N1 strain, which has spread among bird populations worldwide and affected mammals elsewhere. Researchers noted that mortality figures may represent an underestimate, as seal pups continued dying during the final survey period.