A long-nosed fur seal has died from H5 bird flu in South Australia, marking the first confirmed case of the virus in a mammal on the Australian mainland. The seal was discovered dead at Beachport on the state's Limestone Coast on Wednesday.
This development follows recent mass mortality events involving over 1,000 greater crested terns on offshore islands, as announced by South Australian premier Peter Malinauskas. The highly pathogenic H5 bird flu strain has caused millions of bird deaths globally and has been observed in other mammal species, including elephant seals.
The federal government has assessed long-nosed fur seals and the endangered Australian sea lion as being at very high risk from the virus. Additionally, the South Australian government has confirmed that a little penguin found on Kangaroo Island this week also tested positive for H5 bird flu.