Please agree to our privacy policy to enable news listening. (Central News Agency, Sydney, 18th, Comprehensive Foreign Reports) Australian scientists said today that a highly pathogenic strain of avian influenza virus infected a breeding colony of elephant seals on a subantarctic volcanic island, killing more than 13,000 pups. Agence France-Presse reported that when researchers arrived there for inspection last October, they found seal carcasses scattered all over the remote Heard Island and McDonald Islands. Genetic testing has confirmed that the highly contagious H5 avian influenza strain has killed local seals, penguins and birds. This is the first time that this virus has been found in an Australian overseas territory. Scientists from the Australian Antarctic Program pointed out that southern elephant seal pups have borne the brunt of the epidemic, and in some breeding groups, the pup mortality rate is as high as 97%. Ground and aerial surveys conducted in October last year and January this year found that 13,300 elephant seal pups had died. Researchers said the virus may have been introduced by infected wild animals from the Crozet Islands in August last year. Heard Island and the MacDonald Islands are located about 4,000 kilometers southwest of mainland Australia. They are uninhabited and landing on the islands requires permission from the Australian government. The local area unexpectedly became the focus of the media when it was included in the international tariff list by US President Donald Trump in April last year. (Compiled by: Hong Peiying) 1150618 Support the Central News Agency’s choice to stand with the facts. Every donation you make is a small amount of sponsorship to protect the freedom of the press. Download the Central News Agency’s “First-hand News” APP to get the latest news in real time. The text, pictures and audio and video of this website may not be reproduced, publicly broadcast or publicly transmitted and used without authorization.
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More than 13,000 seal cubs died as a result of bird flu in Australia’s offshore islands | International | Central News Agency CNA
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