Bird Flu Strikes California Elephant Seals for the First Time
The New York Times • • general
Key Points:
- A lethal strain of bird flu (H5N1) has been detected in seven elephant seal pups at Año Nuevo State Park in California, marking the first recorded cases in northern elephant seals.
- Approximately 30 seals have died at the park since late last week, with most suspected cases involving weaned pups; testing for additional cases is ongoing.
- The park, home to around 5,000 elephant seals during winter breeding season, has closed seal-viewing areas and canceled tours to prevent further spread.
- While most of the colony currently appears healthy and no rapid increase in deaths has been observed, scientists are concerned due to previous catastrophic losses in southern elephant seals caused by similar outbreaks.
- Researchers are closely monitoring the situation but
