First Suspected Mass Mortality Event of H5N1 Bird Flu Hits Australian Wildlife

Helicopter surveillance off the South Australian coast identified a cluster of dead and ill birds that authorities suspect belong to the first mass-mortality episode of the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Australia. On Baudin Rocks near Robe, 49 greater crested terns were found dead and a further 35 appeared sick; three silver gulls were also flagged as likely positive. Additional suspected cases were reported inland at Monarto, a region that hosts several poultry farms.

The Guardian

The H5N1 strain arrived on the continent only six weeks earlier, making Australia the last continent to record the virus. Since its introduction, the disease has been confirmed in greater crested terns across South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, New South Wales and Queensland. The rapid escalation mirrors early patterns observed in South America, where initial detections quickly gave way to widespread wildlife mortality.

The Guardian

• More than 80 dead or sick birds observed on the rocks.

The Guardian

• 49 dead and 35 sick greater crested terns recorded at Baudin Rocks.

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• Three silver gulls suspected positive, adding to a prior confirmed silver gull case.

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• Victorian authorities sent samples from five crested terns to the CSIRO laboratory in Geelong, with preliminary results indicating additional positives.

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• Five confirmed H5N1 cases were later identified at Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island, raising concerns for local Australian sea lions, an endangered species.

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Jack Gough, chief executive of the Invasive Species Council, noted the virus is “starting to take off” and cautioned that the early stage could quickly become “devastating.”

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• “When people think of a seagull, they’re almost always thinking of the silver gull,” — Dooley. Photograph

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• “They’re very common, and primarily they are coastal, but they do come inland and can turn up in Lake Eyre following floods,” — Dooley. Silver

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• “There is such a large population of silver gulls, and they move into other habitats. They could be the vector that takes bird flu inland,” — Sean Dooley

The Guardian