Authorities confirm Australia’s first penguin death from bird flu

Authorities have confirmed Australia’s first penguin death from bird flu on Victoria’s Phillip Island.

The bird is one of three new positive detections of H5 avian influenza confirmed in wild birds in Victoria.

A crested tern from Lakes Entrance and another crested tern from Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula also returned positive results.

No detections have been found in poultry or other animals.

Chief biodiversity officer James Todd said the detection at Lakes Entrance was significant because the result confirmed H5 bird flu has spread to East Gippsland.

“The Gippsland Lakes are also a habitat for large numbers of seabirds, shorebirds and waterbirds at higher risk of H5 bird flu, so spread of the virus through this area is likely to have significant impacts on wildlife,” Todd said.

Chief veterinary officer Dr Graeme Cooke said the state would vaccinate more than 5000 little penguins on Phillip Island and St Kilda as soon as the federal government authorised the use of H5N1 vaccines for priority native bird species.

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“Agriculture Victoria is working closely with Phillip Island Nature Parks to support the vaccination of little penguins from Monday,” Dr Cooke said.

“While the first detection in a little penguin is a concern, vaccination of little penguins on Phillip Island remains a meaningful way to help protect this important colony.

“Vaccination is not a guarantee against infection but remains an important tool that may help reduce the impact of H5 bird flu in this population.

“We will continue to monitor the colony closely and adapt our approach as new information becomes available.”

Australians should avoid touching sick or dead wildlife, and keep pets away from animals and carcasses.

Australia has 219 confirmed cases of bird flu as of 4pm on Friday, according to the latest federal government data.

This includes 150 cases in South Australia, 53 in Victoria, 10 in Western Australia, four in New South Wales, one in Queensland and one in Tasmania.