Avian Flu Suspected in Mass Deaths of Seal Pups on Australian Subantarctic Island
Meer dan driekwart van de zeeolifantenpups op een afgelegen subantarctische eilandengroep is mogelijk overleden door de vogelgriep. Dat zeggen onderzoekers in een nieuw rapport. Het gaat om een groep zuidelijke zeeolifanten, zeer grote zeehonden. De onderzoekers verzamelden data over de onbewoonde eilandengroep tussen oktober vorig jaar en januari dit jaar. Volgens hun schatting zijn er meer dan 13.000 van de 17.000 zeeolifantenpups doodgegaan. Op sommige plekken is zeker 97
Researchers report that avian influenza (H5N1) may be responsible for the deaths of over three-quarters of southern elephant seal pups on the Heard and McDonald Islands, a remote Australian subantarctic territory. Data collected between October and January suggests that more than 13,000 of the approximately 17,000 pups born may have perished, with mortality rates reaching up to 97% in some areas. This marks the first detection of H5N1 in an external Australian territory, indicating its continued spread in the sub-Antarctic region. Increased penguin deaths were also observed. Six out of nine tested species, including various seals and penguins, tested positive for the virus. Researchers suspect the virus was introduced by migratory birds from the Crozet Islands.
The suspected avian flu outbreak causing mass deaths of seal pups on an Australian island highlights the devastating impact of H5N1 on wildlife and the potential for its continued spread.
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