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H5N1 bird flu jumps to marine mammals and wildlife in Australia
H5N1 bird flu jumps to marine mammals and wildlife in Australia. Originally published by Mongabay.
By Naina Rao · 2026-09-21T09:05:41.051Z
H5N1 avian influenza is spreading rapidly across southeastern Australia owing to infected wild bird species, including little penguins, magpies, crested terns and pelicans. Bird aggregations during breeding seasons will likely accelerate transmission to mammals, said Victoria’s chief biodiversity officer James Todd. In late August, H5N1 jumped to a mammal https://www.agriculture.gov.au/about/news/H5 bird flu updates , a red fox Vulpes vulpes , in Adelaide, South Australia. Acting chief veterinary officer Cameron Bell said that while wild foxes generally do not spread the virus directly, scavenging pests risk moving infected carcasses across habitats, according to media reports https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026 09 04/bird flu found in fox victoria/107116232 . In September, state authorities confirmed H5N1 in an Australian sea lion https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026 09 13/bird flu confirmed in australian sea lion on kangaroo island/107148150 Neophoca cinerea and a common dolphin https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026 08 28/sa detects h5n1 bird flu in goolwa dolphin/107090806 Delphinus delphis . South Australian Environment Minister Emily Bourke said that the sea lion — a critically endangered species https://www.dcceew.gov.au/environment/biodiversity/threatened/assessments/neophoca cinerea 2005 currently declining by 2% a year — was recovering from a shark attack when it succumbed to the virus, reports ABC Australia https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026 09 13/bird flu confirmed in australian sea lion on kangaroo island/107148150 . Cetacean researcher Mike Bossley is concerned https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026 08 28/sa detects h5n1 bird flu in goolwa dolphin/107090806 about how quickly a dolphin contracted the disease. In a news report, he called it both “shocking … and very worrying.” Bourke added that South Australia has recorded bird flu in another mammal species, long nosed fur seals https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026 08 23/australias first bird flu case in mammal confirmed in sa/107068380 Arctocephalus forsteri and confirmed the nation’s first pelican case https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026 09 14/first case of bird flu in pelican detected in sa/107150722 on the Yorke Peninsula. “The first confirmed H5N1 death recorded for the Australian sea lion in Australia marks a significant and worrying moment for Australian wildlife,” Bill Bateman, associate professor of behavioral ecology at Curtin University, Australia, wrote in The Conversation https://theconversation.com/bird flu has claimed its first australian sea lion and dolphin how does the virus get into these animals 291871 . He added that the evolving H5N1 strain can invade a mammal’s central nervous system, causing severe brain inflammation. The way marine mammals contract the virus is likely from birds https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/29/12/23 0192 article , Bateman wrote. Sick or dead seabirds can infect coastal breeding grounds, he added, either when animals eat them or come into contact with bodily fluids or contaminated water and substrate. While there’s no “real way” to stop the spread of H5N1 now that it’s here, Bateman noted that there are ways to reduce its impact https://theconversation.com/powerless against bird flu not entirely here are 8 ways to help protect australias birds and mammals 288909 . There is a way to limit exposure, he said. “Removing carcasses safely is crucial, as it removes these viral reservoirs, and stops it getting into Australia’s many scavenging animals https://theconversation.com/scavenger animals are the missing link in australias bird flu response three experts explain 286046 .” Along South Australia’s Fleurieu Peninsula, volunteers with the Victor Harbor Dolphin Watch Group https://victorharbordolphinwatch.com.au/ are on the lookout for dolphins exhibiting abnormal swimming or neurological symptoms. Bateman said the burden of the bird flu will reach far beyond birds, “This strain of the virus is a wide ranging threat able to affect entire ecosystems. We must do what we can to protect them.” Banner image of a common dolphin Delphinus delphis spotted off a port in the state of Victoria. Image courtesy of Ed Dunens via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=64636632 CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en .