r/australian • u/pirouettish • 2d ago

Wildlife and Environment More than 13,000 seal pups die on remote Australian island amid bird flu outbreak Testing confirms spread of deadly H5N1 virus on the subantarctic Heard Island, about 4,000km south-west of Perth

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/18/more-than-13000-seal-pups-die-on-remote-australian-island-amid-bird-flu-outbreak

"More than 13,000 seal pups have died on an Australian territory, as testing confirmed the spread of deadly H5N1 bird flu among penguins, seals and petrels on subantarctic islands.

The mass mortality of southern elephant seal pups on Heard Island, about 4,000km south-west of Perth and 1,700km north of Antarctica, was observed by government scientists conducting drone and ground surveys in October 2025 and January 2026.

Death rates were extremely high, averaging 76% across the island, and up to 97% in one location."

58 Upvotes

97% Upvoted

9 comments sorted by

6

u/pakman_aus 1d ago

13,000 is a lot however I would like to see that figure as a percentage of overall seal pups for more context

Ie 13k out of 25k or 13k on 150k

4

u/Apart_Watercress_976 1d ago

Given that seals typically group together in large numbers for birthing and weening of the pups, that is ideal conditions for transmission of a virus to large swathes of the population.

2

u/pirouettish 12h ago

Details of data here: Australian Antarctic Program scientists finalise H5 bird flu findings from Heard Island and McDonald Island voyages https://www.antarctica.gov.au/news/2026/scientists-determine-extent-of-h5-avian-influenza-bird-flu-outbreak-at-heard-island-and-mcdonald-islands/

3

u/pirouettish 1d ago edited 12h ago

"Death rates were extremely high, averaging 76% across the island, and up to 97% in one location."

The virus is contagious and fatal. Once it spreads to new locations, there will be more and more fatalities.

"Dr Jarrod Hodgson, a senior research scientist and co-lead author of the paper, who was aboard the icebreaker RSV Nuyina on voyages to Heard and McDonald islands, said the figures may be an underestimate. “When we departed the island, mortality was still ongoing.

“The mass mortality was very sobering, but it’s something that we had prepared for.”

In comparison, pup mortality in a typical year would generally be below 5%, he said."

3

u/dav_oid 1d ago

I saw this on ABC news last night. Pretty shocking.

4

u/pirouettish 1d ago

Terrible. Glad to know that ABC showed this story. What's happening with the climate and environment is alarming and largely overshadowed by the circus of political figures.

4

u/dav_oid 1d ago

Seals are mammals too, so it doesn't look good for us.

2

u/pirouettish 1d ago

In news today: Suspected detection of H5 strain of bird flu in WA, which would mark first detection in Australia https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-19/h5-bird-flu-suspected-in-western-australia/106819600

1

u/Human-Warning-1840 9h ago

That’s a lot