A new study has found that more than 13,000 southern elephant seal pups have died from an H5N1 bird flu outbreak on Australia’s remote Heard and McDonald Islands in the Antarctic region. Researchers conducted drone surveys and field inspections between October last year and January this year, revealing that about 13,359 of 17,364 pups on Heard Island died since August, representing over 75 percent mortality, with some areas reaching 97 percent.
The study, published on the preprint platform bioRxiv but not yet peer-reviewed, collected samples from nine animal species, detecting the H5N1 virus in six, including southern elephant seals, king penguins, gentoo penguins, Antarctic fur seals, and South Georgia diving petrels. Several hundred adult king penguins also died, a higher-than-normal rate though still a small fraction of the total population.
Australia’s Environment Minister Murray Watt described the mass deaths as deeply concerning, warning that the virus could reach the mainland and urging maximum preparedness. Australia remains the only continent where H5N1 bird flu has not yet been detected.
আমার দেশ অনলাইন প্রকাশ : ১৮ জুন ২০২৬, ১৭: ৪২আপডেট : ১৮ জুন ২০২৬, ১৭: ৫৫ অস্ট্রেলিয়ার দূরবর্তী অ্যান্টার্কটিক অঞ্চলের হার্ড ও ম্যাকডোনাল্ড দ্বীপপুঞ্জে এইচ৫এন১ বার্ড ফ্লুর প্রাদুর্ভাবে হাজার হাজার সাউদার্ন এলিফ্যান্ট সিলের শাবকের মৃত্যু হয়েছে বলে নতু
The ‘1 Nojor’ media platform is now live in beta, inviting users to explore and provide feedback as we continue to refine the experience.
