Australia Confirms First Mass Wildlife Death Linked to Bird Flu

Dead and affected birds were detected on Friday during aerial surveillance of Baudin Rocks, located about 5 kilometers south of Cape Jaffa.

Samples collected from the site later tested positive for H5 bird flu, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Australia had remained the only continent free of the deadly virus until June 14, but has since detected bird flu among migratory subantarctic seabirds, mainly giant petrels, along the coasts of South Australia, Western Australia and New South Wales.

The country has recorded 74 confirmed cases of the virus so far, including 54 in South Australia, 10 in Western Australia, seven in Victoria, two in New South Wales and one in Queensland.

Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the wildlife deaths were expected as the virus spreads through natural environments.

“Sadly, we do know that once the H5 bird flu is spreading in wildlife and the natural environment, it is not possible to avoid significant losses, which is what we’re starting to see now,” Collins said.

She added that there was no evidence of the virus spreading to poultry or agricultural systems and that the risk to human health remained low.

“We have invested and worked really closely with our agriculture, particularly our poultry sector, in terms of improved and increasing biosecurity to do everything we can do to keep it out of our agriculture system,” Collins said.

“But you do tend to see spillover impacts across the globe when it comes to the H5.”

Meanwhile, Collins warned that Australians should expect further spread of the virus and more wildlife affected by outbreaks.

“The reality is you can’t stop native and wild birds flying around, and you can’t stop wild animals moving around, and that will mean more mass mortality events like the one we have now seen,” Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt said.

Watt added that the outbreak marked the beginning of “what is likely to be a long, difficult journey in terms of the impacts on wildlife.”

He said the national management plan for H5 bird flu had been activated, with an additional $24 million provided by state and federal governments.