For the first time, Australia’s wildlife has seen the emergence of the H5 strain of bird flu in a local seabird.
Previously, bird flu cases recorded in Australia were limited to migratory birds arriving from the sub-Antarctic regions.
Agriculture Minister Julie Collins announced that laboratory results verified the presence of this strain in a seabird in Robe, located in south-eastern South Australia.
Additionally, two more cases have been identified in South Australia and one in Western Australia, raising the total number of confirmed instances to 12.
Minister Collins reassured the public by stating there is currently no significant wildlife mortality linked to this virus, nor has there been any indication of it spreading to farm environments.
“While this, of course, is a concerning development, it is not unexpected and is another sign that our strong biosecurity system is working,” Collins said at a press conference on Friday.
“The South Australian Government, who is leading the response on the ground in South Australia, is implementing enhanced surveillance in the area where this bird was found. This will help to establish if there has been further spread of the H5 bird flu.”
The bird in question is a greater crested tern that shared an overlapping coastal range with those migratory seabird species that have previously tested positive for H5.
Another suspected positive in Western Australia is undergoing testing.
“There is no evidence currently of any infection in our poultry or agricultural system and there remains a low risk to human health,” Collins said.
The South Australian government is leading an enhanced surveillance operation around Robe, about 340km southeast of Adelaide, to check for any further spread, while federal experts — including Australia’s chief veterinary officer — continue to monitor the situation.
Officials are urging people not to touch sick or dead birds or wildlife, to keep pets away, and to report unusual bird deaths or behaviour to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.
Australia prepares for ‘devastating’ impact
Experts have warned Australia must be prepared for the potential “devastating” impact on local wildlife.
”It’s extremely nerve‑wracking,” Dr Carol Booth from the Invasive Species Council told the Australian Associated Press news agency.
“We really need to be prepared for what could be a really devastating time ahead of us,” she said.
The virus was first detected on the Australian mainland on 14 June in a brown skua found at Esperance on Western Australia’s south coast.
Booth said the virus was so versatile it could spread through close contact, contaminated water and even inanimate objects.
It can also jump from birds to scavenging and predatory animals, such as cats, dogs, foxes, raptors and even Tasmanian devils.
Overseas, the H5 virus has ripped through wildlife.
In South America it has been associated with the deaths of tens of thousands of sea lions and southern elephant seals.
”Once it spreads into wildlife, there is probably no hope of containing it,” Booth said.
”Some of our wildlife is so precious and vulnerable that they could be wiped out.”
She warned that colonial seabirds and wetland birds, sea lions and seals, scavengers such as raptors, and very rare species such as the orange‑bellied parrot — with fewer than 100 left in the wild — are especially at risk.
Environment groups and scientists are urging the Albanese government to back a major wildlife resilience package, arguing that surveillance alone will not be enough if H5 becomes established in wildlife.
”The best thing we can do for wildlife is to reduce other threats now so they have the best chance of surviving and recovering from disease outbreaks,” Booth said.
That includes controlling invasive cats and foxes that prey on susceptible native animals, eradicating invasive species from islands, and restoring wetlands to strengthen habitats for aquatic birds.
— With additional reporting by the Australian Associated Press