The Invasive Species Council says the confirmation of a third H5N1 bird flu detection, this time in South Australia, highlights the growing threat facing Australian wildlife and reinforces the need for an urgent $200 million wildlife resilience package.
‘This latest detection is deeply concerning. We now have confirmed cases in multiple states and must assume either the virus is more widespread than we know, or that new incursions can occur easily now that it is established in the Antarctic,’ Invasive Species Council Policy Director Dr Carol Booth said.
‘The good news is that Australia’s governments have spent years preparing for this moment and the response so far has been swift, coordinated and transparent.
‘The concern now is not whether Australia is taking the threat seriously – it clearly is. The concern is how well our wildlife will cope when bird flu inevitably reaches more native bird and mammal populations.
‘The confirmation that genome testing linked the Western Australian virus to the strain detected on Heard Island further highlights the capacity of this disease to move vast distances through wild bird populations.
‘Whether this particular outbreak is contained or not, one thing is now beyond doubt: highly pathogenic H5N1 bird flu has arrived on mainland Australia and poses a serious long-term threat to wildlife.
‘This is why the Albanese Government should urgently invest at least $200 million over the next two years in a national wildlife resilience package.
‘This is a no-regrets investment that would strengthen native wildlife populations before large-scale outbreaks occur by boosting invasive species control, habitat restoration, predator management and wildlife recovery programs.
‘Around the world, bird flu has devastated seabird colonies and marine mammal populations. We need to do everything possible now to ensure Australian wildlife is in the strongest possible position to withstand what may be coming.
‘We also urge the public to remain vigilant. Anyone who encounters sick or dead wildlife should avoid contact, record the location and report it immediately through the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline.’
The Invasive Species Council will continue working with governments, scientists and conservation organisations to ensure bird flu preparedness and wildlife protection remain a national priority.
Media Inquiries: (02) 8006 5004
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 – Australia remains the only continent free of high pathogenicity avian influenza.
- 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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