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More than 13,000 seal pups die on remote Australian island amid bird flu outbreak Testing confirms spread of deadly H5N1 virus on the subantarctic Heard Island, about 4,000km south-west of Perth www.theguardian.com/environment/...

More than 13,000 baby seals have been killed by a bird flu strain on a remote sub-Antarctic island, painting a sobering picture of the spread of the disease. H5 bird flu was detected for the first time in October on Australia's World Heritage-listed Heard Island, which sits some 4000km southwest of Perth. Mainland Australia is free of the strain, which is present on all other continents and has devastated bird and animal populations. Scientists who visited Heard Island estimated 13,359 southern elephant seal pups have died from the disease out of a total population of 17,364 - 76 per cent. Their study, published in scientific journal BioRxiv on Wednesday, says the figure could be even worse as deaths were ongoing when their observations finished. "It was very sobering but it was something that we were prepared for," Australian Antarctic Program senior research scientist Jarrod Hodgson said. The strain was also found in king penguins, Gentoo penguins, Antarctic fur seals and a South Georgia diving petrel. There was elevated mortality among king penguins and Gentoo penguins. There was also evidence of the disease at nearby McDonald Island. The strain poses a severe and potent…

Australia reports bird flu has killed 13.000 elephant seal pups in Heard and McDonald islands <p> <img src="https://en.mercopress.com/data/cache/noticias/110551/100x80/elepant-seal.jpg" alt="Australian Antarctic Program says mortality in some elephant seal &#147;harems&#148; as high as 97%. " width="100" height="80" style="float:left;margin:0 12px 6px 0;border:1px solid #333" /> The pathogenic strain of bird flu, H5N1 has killed more than 13,000 elephant seal pups after infecting a breeding colony on a sub-Antarctic volcanic island, Australian scientists from the Antarctic Program discovered.</p>

Bird flu kills more than 75% of baby seals on remote Australian island, study finds Scientists say 13,000 southern elephant seal pups on Heard Island have died of the H5N1 strain.

Thousands of baby seals died on two remote sub-Antarctic islands. Scientists now think they know why https://www.europesays.com/uk/1036417/ Summary A deadly H5 bird flu outbreak on remote sub-Antarctic islands has killed an estimated 13,000 seal pups,…

Thousands of baby seals wiped out as bird flu infects ... - 7NEWS Thousands of baby seals have died on an Australian island 4000km from the mainland, with bird flu named as the cause of death. Nearly 80 per cent of the southern elephant seal pup population on the sub-Antarctic external territory was wiped out, according to new research published on Wednesday. Wildlife ecologist Dr Julie McInnes was among the group of Australian researchers who travelled to Heard Island in October and December last year to see if the bird flu had impacted the island. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow To their knowledge, the H5 high pathogenicity avian influenza (HPAI) had not yet reached Australia, or its sub-Antarctic territories. But the team had their suspicions, with recent bird flu deaths on nearby French territories, the Kerguelen and Crozet islands about 450km from Heard Island, prompting the research journey. The Australian Antarctic Division was met with a mass-mortality event upon their arrival. The researchers recorded an estimated 13,359 seal pup deaths on Heard Island, with viral genome analysis confirming animals were infected with Influenza A H5N1. Atlas Cove on…

Bird flu kills thousands of baby seals on remote Australian island Research has revealed the devastating impact of bird flu on a remote Australian territory where more than 13,000 baby seals are now believed to have been killed by the virus.

More than 13,000 baby seals have been killed by a bird flu strain on a remote sub-Antarctic island, painting a sobering picture of the spread of the disease. H5 bird flu was detected for the first time in October on Australia's World Heritage-listed Heard Island, which sits some 4000km southwest of Perth. Mainland Australia is free of the strain, which is present on all other continents and has devastated bird and animal populations. Scientists who visited Heard Island estimated 13,359 southern elephant seal pups have died from the disease out of a total population of 17,364 - 76 per cent. Their study, published in scientific journal BioRxiv on Wednesday, says the figure could be even worse as deaths were ongoing when their observations finished. "It was very sobering but it was something that we were prepared for," Australian Antarctic Program senior research scientist Jarrod Hodgson said. The strain was also found in king penguins, Gentoo penguins, Antarctic fur seals and a South Georgia diving petrel. There was elevated mortality among king penguins and Gentoo penguins. There was also evidence of the disease at nearby McDonald Island. The strain poses a severe and potent…

Bird flu kills 13,000 seal pups on remote Australian island SYDNEY - A pathogenic strain of bird flu killed more than 13,000 elephant seal pups after infecting a breeding colony on a sub-Antarctic volcanic island, Australian scientists said on Thursday.

The H5N1 avian flu outbreak has killed **75% of baby seals** on Australia’s Heard Island, with **13,000 pups dead**—a warning sign for marine ecosystems. 🔎 Fuente: BBC 🔗 https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cr5jdy92gyeo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Bird flu kills thousands of baby seals on Heard Island in ... - RNZ 18 June 2026, 2:37pm Bird flu kills thousands of baby seals on Heard Island in Southern Ocean Caption: Thousands of elephant seal pups have succumbed to bird flu on Heard Island (file image). Photo credit: Michael Nolan / Robert Harding Premium / robertharding via AFP By Antarctic reporter Jano Gibson , ABC News Research has revealed the devastating impact of bird flu on a remote Australian territory where more than 13,000 baby seals are now believed to have been killed by the virus. Heard Island and McDonald Islands, located 4000 kilometres south-west of mainland Australia, are a haven for breeding seals and seabirds in the Southern Ocean. But in October last year, a research voyage uncovered evidence that H5 bird flu had reached the area - the first time an Australian external territory had been affected. At the time, scientists from the Australian Antarctic Program said hundreds of dead southern elephant seal pups had been found on Heard Island. But analysis of data collected during a second voyage in January has painted a far more dire picture. The researchers estimate 13,359 seal pups succumbed to the disease…

More than 13,000 seal pups die on remote Australian island amid bird flu outbreak Testing confirms spread of deadly H5N1 virus on the subantarctic Heard Island, about 4,000km south-west of Perth www.theguardian.com/environment/...

More than 13,000 seal pups die on remote Australian island amid bird flu outbreak <p>Testing confirms spread of deadly H5N1 virus on the subantarctic Heard Island, about 4,000km south-west of Perth</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/jun/18/australia-news-live-non-stop-sydney-london-flights-qantas-one-nation-pauline-hanson-labor-anthony-albanese-economy-cost-of-living-ntwnfb">Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates</a></p></li><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p>More than 13,000 seal pups have died on an Australian territory, as testing confirmed the spread of deadly H5N1 bird flu among penguins, seals and petrels on subantarctic islands.</p><p>The mass mortality of southern elephant seal pups on Heard Island, about 4,000km south-west of Perth and 1,700km north of Antarctica, was observed by government scientists conducting drone and ground surveys in October 2025 and January 20…

Thousands of baby seals died on two remote sub-Antarctic islands. Scientists now think they know why https://www.europesays.com/uk/1036554/ Summary A deadly H5 bird flu outbreak on remote sub-Antarctic islands has killed an estimated 13,000 seal pups,…