Bird flu was first detected in geese in Guangdong Province, China. Shortly after that, the first avian flu case in people was seen in Hong Kong. Since then, the flu has infected ducks, geese, chickens, and turkey. The disease is why egg prices were astronomically high a few months ago; contrary to right-wing media, it was not a result of Joe Biden's economic policies. Once discovered, the poultry needs to be quickly "culled" so as not to spread the infection to other localities. This flu has been detected in aquatic birds, songbirds, and other wild birds. Most recently, a "highly pathogenic avian influenza" infects domestic swans in Texas. The disease has arrived in all continents except for Antarctica. Not anymore.
Antarctic birds and seals have never been exposed to such infections, and scientists fear the impact on wildlife populations will be catastrophic. The British Antarctic Survey detected the first case of a scavenging bird on Bird Island named a skua, located near South Georgia Island (Iceberg Graveyard) and the South Sandwich Islands.
This is so incredibly sad and follows news of several Emperor Penguin breeding colonies' failures due to sea ice melting due to climate change. The chicks did not develop their waterproof feathers in time and froze to death.
H5N1 spread almost 4,000 miles down South America in the space of three months, facilitated by migration routes of wild birds. The fact it had already spread down South America made it likely it would arrive in South Georgia at some point, researchers say.Avian flu has reached the Antarctic, raising concerns for isolated populations of penguins and seals that have never been exposed to the deadly H5N1 virus before. The full impact of the virus’s arrival is not yet known, but scientists are raising concerns about possible “catastrophic breeding failure” of the region’s fragile wildlife populations.
The virus was found in populations of a scavenging bird called brown skua on Bird Island, which is part of the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. These migratory birds probably brought it with them from South America where bird flu is widespread and has already killed an estimated 500,000 seabirds and 20,000 sea lions in Chile and Peru alone.
The current outbreak of the highly infectious variant of H5N1 – which started in 2021 – is estimated to have killed millions of wild birds. Researchers have long been concerned about its potential impact on Antarctic wildlife, because many species are found nowhere else in the world, and are not known to have been exposed to bird flu viruses before.
Avian flu has reached the Antarctic, raising concerns for isolated populations of penguins and seals that have never been exposed to the deadly H5N1 virus before. The full impact of the virus’s arrival is not yet known, but scientists are raising concerns about possible “catastrophic breeding failure” of the region’s fragile wildlife populations.
The virus was found in populations of a scavenging bird called brown skua on Bird Island, which is part of the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. These migratory birds probably brought it with them from South America where bird flu is widespread and has already killed an estimated 500,000 seabirds and 20,000 sea lions in Chile and Peru alone.
The current outbreak of the highly infectious variant of H5N1 – which started in 2021 – is estimated to have killed millions of wild birds. Researchers have long been concerned about its potential impact on Antarctic wildlife, because many species are found nowhere else in the world, and are not known to have been exposed to bird flu viruses before.