The Invasive Species Council says today’s confirmation of highly pathogenic H5 bird flu in a wild greater crested tern in South Australia is a significant escalation in Australia’s outbreak, marking the first sign the virus has spread from Southern Ocean birds into mainland wildlife.
With Australia potentially about to face a devastating wildlife emergency, we need to do everything we can to pair strong surveillance with boosted investment in wildlife resilience, giving susceptible native species the best possible chance of surviving and recovering from a disease that cannot be stopped.
‘This is the first sign that the virus has spread from Southern Ocean birds into mainland wildlife species,’ Invasive Species Council CEO Jack Gough.
‘Bird flu is a disease we cannot stop, but we can give Australia’s wildlife a much better chance of surviving it. That’s the choice facing governments now.
‘Early detection is essential, but surveillance won’t save our wildlife, we need to do everything we can to reduce its impact on vulnerable native species.
‘Around the world, H5 bird flu has killed millions of wild birds and devastated colonies of penguins, seals and sea lions. Australia has a narrow window to reduce the damage by tackling the threats that are already pushing native species towards extinction.
‘Bird flu won’t be the only challenge our wildlife faces. Native species are already battling invasive predators, habitat loss and climate change. A threatened bird struggling to survive those pressures is far less likely to withstand a disease outbreak than a healthy, recovering population.
‘We’re calling on the Albanese Government to establish a $200 million Wildlife Resilience Fund to boost populations of Australia’s most susceptible species while accelerating feral cat and fox control, restoring habitat, protecting seabird breeding islands and strengthening threatened species recovery.
‘This is a practical, no-regrets investment. It would leave Australia’s wildlife better equipped to survive bird flu while also making it more resilient to future disease outbreaks and other environmental threats.
‘We’re also urging Australians to remain vigilant. If you find sick or dead birds or other wildlife, don’t touch them. Record the location and report it immediately so authorities can respond quickly.’
There remains no evidence that H5 bird flu has spread to Australian poultry flocks. However, overseas experience has shown the virus can have devastating consequences for wild bird and marine mammal populations once it becomes established.
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Images of seals and sea birds available here.
Background:
What to look out for
- The public should avoid, record and report any unusual bird deaths immediately by calling the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.
- Wildlife Health Australia have produced detailed advice for people who encounter sick or dead wild birds.
- Look for:
- Small groups of sick or dead wild birds of any species.
- Individual or less than 5 sick or dead wild seabirds, waterbirds, shorebirds or birds of prey (e.g. eagles, hawks).
- Infected live birds may show a wide range of signs if they are sick, including:
- lack of coordination, tremors, swimming in circles
- twisted necks or other unusual posture
- inability to stand or fly
- diarrhoea
- difficulty breathing, coughing or sneezing
- swelling around the head, neck and eyes
- cloudiness or change in colour of the eyes.
Australian H5N1 bird flu risk assessment:
- The Australian Government commissioned a risk assessment of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) which was released in July 2023.
- The assessment found that the risk of ‘HPAI virus exposure and establishment in resident wild birds’ is ‘moderate/high’ and that the impact of this would be ‘catastrophic’, leading to an overall risk of ‘high’.
- Some key findings from this assessment include:
- Extrapolating from global outbreaks of HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b, there are likely to be significant consequences associated with incursion and establishment of HPAI in Australia via wild birds given a moderate likelihood of incursions.
- The frequency of HPAI incursions into Australia via wild birds may be significantly lower compared with other continents and as a result, containment of outbreaks may be more achievable in the Australian context if they are identified early.
- Consequences to wild birds are assessed as CATASTROPHIC with moderate uncertainty, consequences to poultry are assessed as HIGH with moderate uncertainty and consequences to wild mammals are assessed as MINOR with moderate uncertainty.
- In multiple outbreaks the scale of mortality has been extremely high, often involving deaths of 100s, 1,000s or 10,000s of individuals with significant proportions of birds, resulting in mortality globally estimated to be in the millions.
- The Australian black swan has recently been determined to be highly susceptible.
Impacts overseas
- Globally, more than 600 bird species and more than 80 mammal species have been affected by H5 bird flu.
- Since arriving in South America in late 2022, bird flu has killed more than 30,000 South American sea lions, 17,000 southern elephant seal pups and unknown numbers of porpoises, dolphins and otters, as well as at least 650,000 native birds.
- The mortality rate of elephant seal pups in Argentina’s Península Valdés reached 95% in 2023 compared to only 1% in 2022.
- Mass mortality events have been observed in penguins and skuas since bird flu arrived in Antarctica in early 2024. The virus arrived at the end of the breeding season for birds and mammals, so even greater impact is expected in the warmer months.
- In the UK, H5N1 has wiped out about 30% of the country’s breeding population of roseate terns, great skua and gannets.
- Since 2020, there have been outbreaks in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North America, South America and Antarctica.
- Humans and other mammals can become infected through contact with live or dead infected animals, or contaminated environments. Current strains of avian influenza do not appear to transmit between humans.
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