<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jun/23/brown-skuas-giant-petrels-wa-h5n1-bird-flu>
"Brown skuas and giant petrels are a common sight offshore in southern
Australian waters in the winter months, but they will rarely risk venturing on
to land.
So when two of these birds were discovered sick – on beaches a few kilometres
apart on Western Australia’s southern coastline – it was a sign something might
be wrong.
On Monday it was confirmed the giant petrel had tested positive for the H5N1
strain of avian influenza, two days after the case was confirmed in the skua.
Both birds have since died.
The virus has killed millions of birds and mammals around the world since 2021
but, until now, Australia was the only continent it had failed to reach.
Now governments and wildlife experts are waiting anxiously to see if the two
cases represent the beginning of a wave of infections, fearing devastating
consequences for Australian wildlife and industry.
Almost 60 reports of sick and dead birds in Western Australia were made to a
nationwide hotline at the weekend.
Australia’s chief veterinary officer, Dr Beth Cookson, said there was no sign
that the two infections had spread to other birds. But the cases have put
experts and government agencies on high alert."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
