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Thousands of baby seals died on two remote sub-Antarctic islands. Scientists now think they know why
CNN • • general
Key Points:
- A deadly strain of H5 bird flu has killed an estimated 13,000 seal pups, along with penguins and seabirds, on Heard and McDonald Islands near Antarctica, according to researchers from the Australian Antarctic Program.
- Drone surveys revealed a 76% mortality rate among southern elephant seal pups, with some areas experiencing up to 97% deaths, devastating the native wildlife population on these remote islands.
- Several hundred adult king penguins were also found dead, with mortality rates exceeding normal levels, marking the first detection of H5 bird flu in an Australian external territory.
- The virus is believed to have spread eastward from the French sub-Antarctic Crozet Islands, likely arriving around August 2025, but as of February, no cases have been reported on the Australian mainland or New Zealand.
- Researchers remain uncertain about the impact of the virus on the breeding adult southern elephant seal population and continue to monitor the situation closely.
