Endangered sea lions test positive for bird flu at breeding colony

Four endangered Australian sea lions, including a pup, have tested positive for H5 bird flu after being found dead at a major breeding ground off Kangaroo Island, where about 900 seabirds have also died.

The sea lions were among several found dead on the Pages Islands, between Kangaroo Island and the South Australian mainland, where about 900 crested terns have died in a mass mortality event.

South Australian Environment Minister Emily Bourke said 10 dead sea lions were available for testing, with three adults and one pup returning positive results, the ABC reported on Monday.

The detections bring the number of Australian sea lions confirmed with H5 bird flu in South Australia to five.

The first case was confirmed at Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island on September 13 after a sea lion recovering from a shark attack died and later tested positive for the virus.

Ms Bourke said the animal had died from bird flu rather than the shark attack, although its injuries may have made it more vulnerable to disease.

Australian sea lions are endangered, with fewer than 12,000 estimated to remain.

About 85 per cent of the population is found in South Australia, with the remainder in Western Australia, while the species was already declining by about 2 per cent each year before bird flu was detected.

The Pages Islands are one of South Australia’s major breeding sites for the species, heightening concern about the virus reaching breeding animals and pups.

Bird flu has caused major marine mammal deaths elsewhere, including on Australia’s Heard Island in the Southern Ocean.

More than 13,000 elephant seal pups were estimated to have died there from bird flu, representing more than three-quarters of the cohort.

Originally published as Endangered sea lions test positive for bird flu at breeding colony