More than 13,000 seal pups die on remote Australian island amid bird flu outbreak

More than 13,000 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 […]

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“An entire colony of breeding penguins disappeared.” Bird flu is out of control – now it’s reached the Antarctic

“An entire colony of breeding penguins disappeared.” Bird flu is out of control – now it’s reached the Antarctic

On 23rd October 2023, a short press release from the government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands reported that Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) – what we mostly shorten to bird flu – had been detected on the wildlife-rich islands of South Georgia. It was the moment that this deadly form of the virus officially […]

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Man stuffed 6 parrots in his boots in bizarre border smuggling attempt, officials say

Man stuffed 6 parrots in his boots in bizarre border smuggling attempt, officials say

A man was caught attempting to smuggle parrots into California after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers noticed “unusual clothing bulges” around his ankles and discovered six birds stuffed into his boots, authorities said. The bizarre incident happened April 30, when Customs and Border Patrol Agents pulled aside a 51-year-old man applying for admission to […]

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Bird flu sweeps through zoos with ‘grave implications’ for endangered animals

Bird flu sweeps through zoos with ‘grave implications’ for endangered animals

Dozens of rare animals including tigers, lions and cheetahs are dying as bird flu infiltrates zoos, with potentially “grave implications” for endangered species, researchers have warned. As a growing number of zoos report animal deaths, scientists are concerned that infected wild birds landing in enclosures could be spreading it among captive animals. In the US, […]

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