Australia confirms H5 bird flu in long-nosed fur seal
Australia has recorded its first confirmed case of H5 bird flu in a mammal, after a long-nosed fur seal tested positive at Beachport, south of Adelaide. Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins described the detection as "concerning" but not unexpected, given rising infection rates among wild birds in the area, and stressed there is currently no evidence of the virus spreading into poultry or agricultural systems. The finding coincides with mass bird deaths in South Australia and Tasmania, marking what officials say is a significant escalation in the country's ongoing outbreak.
Some 298 bird flu cases have now been recorded across Australia, 183 of them in South Australia. Aerial surveillance found more than 1,000 dead crested terns on remote South Australian islands, while 28 dead penguins and three crested terns were discovered on King Island, Tasmania, alongside a suspected fatal case in a little penguin on Kangaroo Island. Authorities in South Australia are seeking approval for a two-dose vaccination programme, initially targeting captive animals at Adelaide Zoo and Cleland Wildlife Park, though no rollout timeline has been set, while specialist teams have been deployed to Tasmania to investigate and test affected wildlife.
- First mammal case of H5 bird flu confirmed in an Australian seal
- Mass bird deaths reported in South Australia and Tasmania
- Officials seeking vaccine approval for zoo and wildlife park animals
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Australia's bird flu outbreak has been building for weeks, with the virus spreading through wild bird populations across several states. Until now, the concern has largely been about impacts on wildlife and the risk to the poultry industry, which Australia had managed to keep largely free of this particular strain compared with other countries.
The case in a fur seal matters because it is the first time the virus has been confirmed in a mammal in Australia. Bird flu occasionally jumps from birds to mammals elsewhere in the world, and scientists watch these events closely because they can, in rare cases, be a step towards a virus adapting to spread more easily among mammals, including humans, though officials stress there is no sign of that happening here.
The response involves both federal and South Australian authorities, including Agriculture Minister Julie Collins, alongside wildlife bodies such as Adelaide Zoo and Cleland Wildlife Park. Their work centres on tracking the disease in wild birds and marine animals, protecting vulnerable species, and preventing any spread into farmed poultry, which would have significant economic consequences.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Bird flu outbreak takes ‘concerning’ turn in Australia as first case is confirmed in a mammal”.