‘Tsunami breaking over our native wildlife’: Bird flu spreads to gulls, mass mortality event under investigation
Updated . First published at
South Australia has become the epicentre of Australia’s bird flu outbreak, with fears the spread is heading inland.
There have been 20 new confirmed cases, including for the first time spreading to a seagull, sparking fears the H5 virus will soon threaten more species.
South Australia has become the epicentre of Australia’s bird flu outbreak. 9News
“We are seeing the start of what could really be a really serious tsunami breaking over our native wildlife, devastation on the scale of the Black Summer bushfires,” Invasive Species Council chief executive Jack Gough told 9News.
“A seagull is concerning because they push further inland, so we can start seeing it turn up in freshwater and inland environments as well.”
Among the latest cases is a mass mortality detected on the island of Baudin Rocks off Cape Jaffa in South Australia. The state’s environment minister, Emily Bourke, confirmed on Saturday that aerial surveillance had detected 49 dead and 35 sick greater crested terns.
Lab testing was under way to confirm if the animals were infected with H5 bird flu.
The 20 new confirmed cases were greater crested terns and one seagull, which was at Robe on the Limestone Coast.
There are further suspected cases, including more gulls, with tests being sent to Geelong for confirmation.
Of Australia’s 53 confirmed cases of H5 bird flu, 39 have been in South Australia. 9News
South Australian chief veterinary officer Dr Skye Fruean said there was “nothing we can do, unfortunately, to stop the spread though through our wildlife”.
“Unfortunately, it does appear to be escalating quite rapidly,” Fruean said.
“That’s not that surprising as these birds do mingle and come into contact all the time on our shorelines and coast.
“That’s part of the reason we need to continue to do the surveillance so that we can monitor the situation to give people warning.”
Fruean said the mass mortality event was of concern.
“A mass mortality event doesn’t have any particular defined number,” Fruean said.
“Mass mortality is essentially something that would be unusual and significant, and I would describe it as that.”
Australia had 53 confirmed cases of H5 bird flu as of 2pm AEST on Saturday.
This includes 39 cases in South Australia, 10 in Western Australia, two in NSW, one in Queensland and one in Victoria.
Share a tip-off, video or photo with us
