Potential H5N1 Outbreak Threatens Endangered Australian Sea Lion

CANBERRA, August 24 — The discovery of H5N1 bird‑flu in a second long‑snouted fur seal on the Pages islands has amplified fears that the virus could endanger the already fragile Australian sea‑lion colonies.

The seal was recovered from the Pages Conservation Park, a protected marine reserve made up of North and South Pages islands, located about 18 km off the southern coast of South Australia. Tissue specimens are currently being examined by the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness.

This case follows a federal announcement made the previous day, which confirmed Australia’s first mammalian H5N1 infection after a seal was found dead on the South Australian mainland.

Emily Bark, the state’s Climate, Environment and Water Minister, said the twin detections are “highly concerning,” especially after reports earlier in the week of more than 1,000 bird fatalities linked to suspected bird‑flu across three islands, including the Pages.

The Pages islands support one of three large colonies of the endangered Australian sea lion, a species already listed as vulnerable. The Invasive Species Council warned that an uncontrolled H5N1 spread could push the sea lion toward a extinction‑level threat.

Preliminary data point to Heard Island as a possible source. In June, the Australian Antarctic Program reported that about 13,000 of roughly 17,000 elephant seal pups on Heard Island died from H5N1.

Federal Environment Minister Maree Wat told ABC Television that the seal infections were anticipated and that health officials are bracing for potentially larger wildlife mortality events as the virus moves through marine ecosystems.