‘Just the beginning’: Wetlands at risk as Australians warned to expect more deaths
Updated . First published at
Authorities fear Australia’s wetlands could be the scene of mass wildlife deaths due to H5 bird flu as thousands of migratory birds descend on the vital ecosystems.
The nation’s first mass mortality event from the avian flu was confirmed on Monday with CSIRO testing revealing samples from dozens of seabirds found dead on the island of Baudin Rocks off Cape Jaffa were positive for the virus.
Minister for the Environment and Water Murray Watt said this is likely the beginning of more events. Alex Ellinghausen
There have now been 74 confirmed cases, including 10 in Western Australia, 54 in South Australia, two in New South Wales, seven in Victoria and one in Queensland.
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said while the first mass mortality event was “concerning”, it was not “unexpected”.
“Sadly we do know that once the H5 bird flu is spreading in wildlife, and the natural environment, it is not possible to avoid significant losses which is what we are starting to see now,” Collins said.
“There will be ongoing surveillance to establish whether the H5 bird flu is established more broadly in Australian wildlife and we will continue to inform the public where the H5 bird flu has been detected.
“Australians should expect to see more spread and larger numbers now of wildlife being affected.”
Bird migration over the coming months is expected to bring increased risk of disease transmission including to inland wetland areas.
“We do expect that this disease will now spread to other species which can also travel long distances, so there is a risk that this disease can move to inland areas including important wetlands across Australia,” Threatened Species Commissioner Fiona Fraser said.
“We cannot prevent this happening... we cannot stop mortality events at those wetland areas.
“But we can do that work to build resilience.”
Fraser said key wetlands had been prioritised for habitat enhancement, water management and the removal of invasive predators such as pigs, foxes and feral cats.
Environment Minister Murray Watt said this first mass mortality event was “just the beginning”.
“There’s no doubting as we’ve been indicating for some time that H5 bird flu does represent a significant threat to Australia’s native species and I want to level with people: this is the beginning of what is likely to be a long, difficult journey in terms of the impact on wildlife but it is one that we are well prepared for,” Watt said.
“The reality is, you can’t stop native and wild birds flying around, and you can’t stop wild animals moving around and that will mean more mass mortality events like we have seen.
Dozens of greater crested terns have died in the first mass mortality H5 bird flu event recorded in Australia. Neil Bowman
“What we can do, and what we have been doing, is build up the resilience of the populations of our native birds and mammals.”
Fraser said the government had invested $5 million in facilities that breed 31 different threatened bird and mammal species as part of preparedness.
There has still been no detection of the deadly virus in poultry or other livestock anywhere in Australia.
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