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https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/05/penguins-dolphins-nearly-400-australian-species-threat-bird-flu-true-extent-disaster>
"Almost 400 native Australian bird and mammal species have been assessed as
being at a high risk – or worse – from the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, a
federal government assessment has revealed.
Some of Australia’s most beloved animals – including species of penguins, fur
seals, quolls, dolphins, more than 300 birds and the Tasmanian devil – are
considered at least high risk from the virus, meaning they could suffer “severe
reduction in population size or viability” or worse if it reached them.
Five species are considered at extreme risk, meaning “unlikely to survive where
the virus occurs”.
These are all birds that breed in single islands or groups of islands, such as
the endangered Christmas Island frigatebird and the critically endangered
herald petrel, which only breeds on Raine Island in the far north of the Great
Barrier Reef.
More than 80 endangered and critically endangered species are also considered
to be facing at least a high risk from an infection, suggesting that the H5N1
strain of bird flu will push them further towards extinction.
The federal government released the results of the assessment of more than
2,000 native species, carried out with Charles Darwin University and BirdLife
Australia, on Tuesday evening. Nearly one in five have been rated as facing
extreme, very high or high risk.
Australia’s three resident seals – the Australian fur seal, the New Zealand fur
seal and the Australian sea lion – are all considered at very high risk. The
Tasmanian devil and the eastern quoll, both assessed as high risk, are the land
mammals at greatest threat.
The extent of the analysis and the number of species considered at high risk
underlines expert fears for the threat to local wildlife."
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
