Bird flu has wiped out half of South Georgia\u2019s breeding elephant seals, according to a study that warns of \u201cserious implications\u201d for the future of the species.<\/p>\n
The remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean is home to the world\u2019s largest southern elephant seal population. Researchers estimate 53,000 females died after bird flu hit in 2023.<\/p>\n
The population has now plummeted by 47%, researchers found. \u201cIt was quite a stark number,\u201d said the lead author, Connor Bamford from the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge. \u201cI didn\u2019t anticipate it to be this high.\u201d<\/p>\n
In 2024, tourists on cruise ships said the explorer Ernest Shackleton\u2019s grave had become inaccessible to visitors due to \u201cdead seals blocking the way\u201d. But Bamford said it was likely that many dead animals were never seen, having returned to the sea when they were sick to cool down.<\/p>\n
It is possible that direct losses from bird flu have been exacerbated by females becoming physically stressed and abandoning their pups.<\/p>\n