- H5N1 bird flu was detected in a long-nosed fur seal in Beachport, South Australia
- AMCS warns the window to protect our most vulnerable species is closing fast
- Renewed calls for at least $200 million in national wildlife resilience funding
The first detection of H5 bird flu in a marine mammal on Australia’s mainland shows why we cannot wait to act to protect vulnerable and iconic endemic species from bird flu as it demonstrates the ability for strain of virus to jump to mammals.
AMCS Campaigns Director Alexia Wellbelove said:
“We have already seen this virus kill more than 13,000 elephant seal pups on Australia’s Heard Island and wreak havoc on seals and sea lion populations overseas. Now we are watching this grim pattern unfold on the Australian mainland, spreading to marine mammals identified by the government as being at high risk for bird flu impacts.
“Long-nosed fur seals, Australian fur seals, and Australian sea lions are at risk of experiencing mass mortalities due to this virus, as we have seen occur in other seals and sea lions overseas. Recent mass mortalities of birds at South Australian sea lion colonies clearly show that we cannot afford to wait any longer to act.
“Every day without proper investment in wildlife resilience is a day our threatened species are left at risk of mass mortalities and localised extinctions. Government preparedness funding got us this far, but it was never designed to manage active spread across multiple species and states.
“We are again calling on the Federal Government to urgently establish the additional $200 million wildlife resilience fund to enable the recovery of threatened species.”
