Tasmanian authorities have detected the H5N1 bird flu strain in the carcass of a brown skua on the state's north-west coast, prompting a suite of protection measures including increased surveillance and a planned vaccination program for select species.
H5N1 bird flu detected in Tasmania, threatening endemic wildlife including Tasmanian devils and orange-bellied parrots
Tasmanian authorities have detected the H5N1 bird flu strain in the carcass of a brown skua on the state's north-west coast, prompting a suite of protection measures including increased surveillance and a planned vaccination program for select species.
The state government has identified several species as high priority because they gather in dense colonies, scavenge carcasses, or already face extinction pressures. Those species include the shy albatross, short-tailed shearwater, white-fronted tern, fairy and little terns, Australasian gannet, and the Australian and long-nosed fur seals.
The critically endangered orange-bellied parrot, of which only 88 were detected in the wild last year, is the focus of the most immediate vaccination response. Once approved by the state government, an H5 bird flu vaccine will be administered to 350 birds held at a captive breeding centre at Five Mile Beach near Hobart. Tasmanian Deputy Premier Guy Barnett said the program was intended to begin in September to coincide with parts of the breeding and sequencing schedule. Additional infrastructure, including specialised shade cloth, will also be installed at the facility to reduce transmission risk.
The endangered Tasmanian devil faces an uncertain threat. As carnivorous marsupials that regularly scavenge carcasses, devils are considered likely to eventually consume infected birds, but whether the virus would then infect them is not established, according to Rachael Alderman from Tasmania's Department of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE). No H5 bird flu vaccine exists for mammals. Authorities are working to strengthen captive devil populations by reducing disease and improving genetic diversity.
Little penguins, while identified as vulnerable to significant mortalities, will not receive vaccines in Tasmania. NRE officials said the permit conditions — two doses separated by one to two weeks, with post-vaccination monitoring — could not be practically met for penguin colonies in the state, unlike the situation on Victoria's Phillip Island, where authorities plan to vaccinate 5,000 birds. Tasmanian efforts for little penguins will instead focus on weed removal and pest reduction at colony sites.
Albatross Island, where approximately 40 per cent of shy albatross breed, lies about 100 kilometres from where the infected skua was found. NRE secretary Jason Jacobi said that if an outbreak were detected within a colony of short-tailed shearwaters, the department may work with Tasmania's Aboriginal community to impose a temporary suspension on the seasonal harvesting of shearwater chicks, known as muttonbirding, which is described as one of the oldest enduring cultural practices for Tasmania's Aboriginal people.
The H5N1 pandemic has caused severe wildlife mortality globally. On Heard Island in the Southern Ocean, thousands of baby seals were killed by the virus. As mammals, seals have no available vaccine, though Australia's Threatened Species Commissioner Fiona Fraser said work was under way to build the resilience of wild seal populations.
- The source does not state when the brown skua carcass was found or when laboratory confirmation of H5N1 was received.
- The source does not state which body is responsible for approving the orange-bellied parrot vaccination program or the timeline for that approval decision.
- The source does not state the current total captive population of Tasmanian devils or the scale of the captive-strengthening measures under way.
- The source does not state the total population size of little penguins in Tasmania.
- The source does not identify the vaccine product to be used for orange-bellied parrots or its regulatory approval status.
- The source does not include a response or position from Tasmania's Aboriginal community regarding a potential temporary suspension of muttonbirding.
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