How do you vaccinate 1,000 tiny penguins against bird flu in the wild? It’s ‘really tricky’ but there is a way
Conservationists in Victoria, Australia, have launched a large-scale vaccination program for over 1,000 little penguins to protect them against H5N1 bird flu. The initiative is considered the largest of its kind for wild birds and relies on the penguins' habit of returning to the same burrows nightly.
Why it matters
This program represents a pioneering effort in wildlife disease management, potentially setting a precedent for protecting endangered species from global avian influenza outbreaks.
Team members have been working at night to administer bird flu vaccines to the ‘difficult to handle’ little penguins on Phillip Island. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP Team members have been working at night to administer bird flu vaccines to the ‘difficult to handle’ little penguins on Phillip Island. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP Australian climate and environmental reporting Bird flu How do you vaccinate 1,000 tiny penguins against bird flu in the wild? It’s ‘really tricky’ but there is a way Phillip Island’s ‘iconic’ little penguins get first bird flu vaccinations in what is thought to be largest program of its kind
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