- An endangered Australian sea lion has died from H5N1 bird flu at Seal Bay, Kangaroo Island in South Australia
- Viral spread at this key colony could drive massive population declines, pushing the species closer to extinction
- Renewed calls for at least $200 million in national wildlife resilience funding
An Australian sea lion has died at Seal Bay on South Australia’s Kangaroo Island after contracting H5N1 bird flu, confirming an outcome AMCS has been warning governments about since the virus reached the Australian mainland in late June.
AMCS Campaigns Director Alexia Wellbelove said:
“This is exactly the scenario we have been sounding the alarm on. Endangered Australian sea lions are now on the frontline of the bird flu wildlife crisis, and the risk of extinction is increasing by the day. With only 12,000 individuals left, the Australian sea lion simply cannot absorb the kind of losses bird flu has inflicted on marine mammals overseas, or even in Australia-the virus killed more than 13,000 elephant seal pups on Heard Island last summer. For the Australian sea lion, deaths at that scale would be catastrophic.
“The Australian sea lion joins a growing list of beloved Australian marine species that have contracted this virus, including long-nosed fur seals, little penguins and common dolphins. All of these species are classified as being at ‘very high risk’ from bird flu, according to the government’s own risk assessment.
“This confirmed death at Seal Bay puts the government’s promise of no new extinctions at risk if it fails to heed this warning again. Every colony, every pup, every individual matters when a population is this small. We cannot afford to wait.
“With only $20 million currently allocated to support building the resilience of wildlife populations threatened by this virus, we are again calling on the Albanese Government to urgently establish the $200 million wildlife resilience fund needed to protect our unique wildlife and support recovery of threatened species.
“If we’re to stand a chance at preventing the extinction risk of species like Australian sea lions, we need to invest in building resilience through targeted, science-based conservation action and ongoing monitoring of priority species and habitats.”
