First penguin deaths in sub-Antarctic region attributed to bird flu strain

Weeks after scientists suspected and confirmed deaths of elephant and fur seals due to bird flu in the British Overseas Territory (BOT) of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands near Antarctica, there are now reports of at least three penguin deaths from the region.

A King penguin death was recorded on South Georgia island, according to the latest update from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). A gentoo penguin was also suspected to have died from H5N1 at the same location.

Another gentoo penguin is confirmed to have died of bird flu on Sea Lion island in the Falklands, another BOT near South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

The death of the gentoo penguin in the Falklands was reported on January 19, while the king penguin death in South Georgia was reported on January 10.

Over 20 penguin chicks are reportedly dead or showing symptoms of the disease, according to SCAR.

Avian Influenza is a highly contagious viral disease which has swept populations of birds and mammals across the world. Since 2021, its variant known as HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has been dominated and caused outbreaks, leading to the deaths of millions of birds in the United Kingdom, South America, Europe and South Africa.

In October 2023, bird flu arrived in the sub-Antarctic region after travelling from South America through sea birds. It infected elephant and fur seals, brown skua and kelp gulls among others, resulting in mass infection and mortality.

At least 20,000 sea lions have reportedly died due to the disease in Chile and Peru alone. Over 500,000 seabirds — including penguins, pelicans and others — have died of the disease.

Read

• First cases of avian flu found in Antarctic region
• In a first, a polar bear has died of avian flu in the Arctic, confirms Alaska

In December 2023, the first death of a polar bear due to avian flu was reported from the Arctic.

The cases caused fear among the scientific community, who warned of the disease reaching penguin colonies located in the remote parts of Antarctica.

Speaking with The Guardian, Norman Ratcliffe, a seabird ecologist with the British Antarctic Survey, said about 98 per cent of the global population of fur seals was found in South Georgia. The region hosted “globally important populations of elephant and fur seals [and these] populations are now at risk from large declines”, he added.

A risk assessment conducted by researchers warned about the virus ripping across densely populated colonies of penguins by the austral (southern) spring that may lead to “one of the largest ecological disasters of modern times”.

So far, no suspected or confirmed case of infection has been reported from mainland Antarctica, according to SCAR.

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