First bird flu deaths reported among penguins in Antarctica
A highly lethal form of bird flu has been detected in Antarctic penguins for the first time. The virus, which is known as H5N1, was confirmed in two gentoo penguins that were found dead on Sea Lion Island in the Falkland Islands, a British territory.
“But many more are dying,” said Sally Heathman, the head of communications for the Falkland Islands government. As of Tuesday, more than 200 dead or dying gentoo chicks have been reported on Sea Lion Island, she said.
The familiar black-andwhite birds are facing numerous threats, including climate change, pollution and commercial fishing. Three Antarctic penguin species — emperor penguins, southern rockhopper penguins and macaroni penguins — are listed as vulnerable or near threatened.
Before H5N1 arrived in the Antarctic region last fall, highly pathogenic bird flu viruses had never been documented in the area before. That means that the penguins are likely to have little existing immunity. And because they breed in large, crowded colonies, once one penguin is infected, the virus could spread rapidly, causing mass mortalities. (Chile reported the deaths of thousands of Humboldt penguins.)
The extent of the virus' spread in Antarctic penguin populations remains unclear.
In the Falkland Islands, some gentoo penguins appeared to be sick or lethargic, and a small number showed neurological symptoms, before they were found dead, Heathman said. The virus has not yet been confirmed in any other local penguin species, she said, but testing of rockhopper penguins is underway.
At least one suspected case has also been reported in king penguins in South Georgia, another British territory, according to the Antarctic Wildlife Health Network, which is part of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research.
That report was based on a single dead king penguin, and investigators have not seen a spike in penguin deaths at that location, said Laura Willis, the chief executive of the government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. “We are monitoring the situation across the islands,” she said.
The virus, which first emerged in 2020, has taken an unprecedented toll on wild birds and mammals. After the virus was detected at the tip of South America last year, OFFLU, a global network of flu experts, warned that the pathogen could spread to Antarctica next.