First H5 bird flu death of endangered Australian sea lion recorded amid fears for small population
Summary
South Australia recorded the first death of an endangered Australian sea lion from H5 bird flu at Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island. The species, with fewer than 10,000 left mainly in South and Western Australia, faces increasing threats as bird flu spreads, and no effective vaccine is currently available for wild sea lions.Key Facts
- The dead sea lion was found at Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island, home to about 800 sea lions.
- This sea lion had been healing from a shark attack but died due to H5 bird flu infection.
- Around 85% of the Australian sea lion population lives in South Australia; less than 10,000 remain in total.
- The population is already shrinking by about 2% each year before the bird flu outbreak.
- Bird flu has caused severe declines in seal and sea lion populations in other parts of the world, sometimes wiping out up to 95% of pups.
- No current off-the-shelf vaccine exists for marine mammals like sea lions, though experimental trials in other seals have been done.
- South Australia’s government is discussing trials with the federal government to test vaccines for sea lions.
- H5 bird flu first appeared in mainland Australian mammals in August, confirmed in a sea lion relative, the long-nosed fur seal, in South Australia.
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