South Australian authorities have identified three mass bird mortality events involving more than 1,000 crested terns, which are “presumed” to have died from H5N1 bird flu.
Premier Peter Malinauskas told SA parliament the deaths occurred on remote offshore islands, including Troubridge Island off Yorke Peninsula and two small islands off Kangaroo Island known as North Page and South Page.
The deaths were detected yesterday.
As of today, South Australia has recorded 177 confirmed cases of H5 bird flu.
The SA government is also investigating a suspected case involving a little penguin from Kangaroo Island.
The discoveries of the mass mortalities were made by the state government’s surveillance teams and represent a “significant escalation” of bird flu in the state, Mr Malinauskas said.
“The loss of more than 1,000 birds is deeply concerning, and the state government is treating these events with the utmost seriousness,” he said.
“Of particular concern, we are also investigating a suspected case involving a little penguin from Kangaroo Island.”
The mass mortalities were revealed in a ministerial statement, which the premier read out to parliament’s lower house.
He added that no mass mortality had been reported in mammals, and that H5N1 had not been detected in poultry or livestock.
South Australia is carrying out surveillance on the ground as well as through aerial patrols conducted by planes, helicopters and drones.
The first mass mortality of Australian wildlife from bird flu also occurred in SA, and was revealed by the federal government earlier this month.
In that event, aerial surveillance detected dead greater crested terns on an island called Baudin Rocks, about 5 kilometres south of Cape Jaffa on the state’s south-east coast.
Separate mortality event in Tasmania
In a separate mortality event, more than two dozen penguins have been found dead in Tasmania, a week on from the arrival of the deadly H5 bird flu in the state.
A surveillance team has found 28 dead penguins and three dead crested terns on the coast of King Island.
The birds are being tested for the deadly H5 bird flu, which has already killed seven birds on the Bass Strait Island.
More than two dozen penguins were found dead on King Island. (Supplied: Mel Wells )
The virus was found for the first time in Tasmania last Thursday in a brown skua at Rocky Cape on the north-west coast.
Since then, the region’s death toll has continued to climb, and extended to crested terns and silver gulls.
Seven of the 11 deaths have been on King Island.
“Unfortunately, our surveillance team found 28 dead penguins and three dead crested terns at the Port of Grassy on King Island yesterday,” Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE) incident controller Wes Ford said.
“Tasmanians care deeply about our wildlife, and particularly our penguins, so we understand that reports like these may be distressing for the community.
“Samples have been collected and sent for laboratory testing with results expected during the week.”
NRE staff will collect the dead birds today to avoid further transmission.
Mr Ford said the department was increasing surveillance and monitoring activities in the area, and remained committed to supporting the King Island community and its industries.
“We expect to continue receiving reports of sick and dead birds on King Island, along the north west coast and in other parts of Tasmania,” he said.
“That is why ongoing surveillance, monitoring and testing remain critical.”
Australian Seabird Group research scientist Eric Woehler said it would be a “worrying trend” if bird flu is determined as the penguins’ cause of death, and would mark a “major escalation”.
Victoria is vaccinating little penguins on Phillip Island, after a bird from the island’s colony was found to have died from H5N1 bird flu.
Based on his analysis of mortality rates of other penguin species on sub-Antarctic islands, Dr Woehler believes little penguins are not highly vulnerable.
“They’re not like silver gulls or crested terns that nest on the ground, beak to beak and are forever fighting,” Dr Woehler said.
“The birds come ashore, and then they basically self-isolate in burrows in the ground, so there’s less opportunity for transmission of the bird flu in a species such as little penguins compared to the gulls and terns.”
Dr Woehler said given the abundance and diversity of seabird species, further spread of bird flu on King Island would be concerning.
“It’s opening the door for the virus to spread to those other species on King Island and elsewhere in Bass Strait, so the Bass Strait area will likely be one of the potential focal areas for bird flu if it does get a hold in Australia,” he said.
While the Tasmanian government does not consider penguins a priority species for vaccination against the virus, director of threatened species and biodiversity Rachael Alderman said authorities were preparing for further spread.
“Our worst-case scenario is that we will see significant mortalities, and it will impact species,” she said.
“It could be little penguins, it could be a range of different species, we just don’t know.”