Bird flu suspected to have spread to seal at key breeding ground off Kangaroo Island
A suspected case of H5 bird flu has been detected in a seal off the coast of Kangaroo Island, following Australia's first confirmed mammal case. Authorities warn that the virus poses a significant threat to endangered species and could lead to further mass mortality events.
Why it matters
The transmission of bird flu to mammals increases the risk of the virus adapting to new hosts, posing a potential threat to biodiversity and public health.
A suspected case of H5 bird flu has been detected in a seal at a key breeding ground, a day after Australia's first case of the virus in a mammal was revealed.
The suspected case in a long-nosed fur seal, which is yet to be confirmed, occurred at the Pages Conservation Park, South Australia's Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) said.
The Pages - two small islands off the Kangaroo Island coast - are the site of a mass mortality event in birds, presumed to have died from the H5 strain, which was detected last week.
The islands are an important breeding site for the endangered Australian sea lion, which the Invasive Species Council warns could face an "extinction level" event if the disease enters its colonies.
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