Bird flu confirmed in South Australia as infected petrel brings deadly H5N1 cases to three

A dead brown skua was among the first cases of bird flu in Australia confirmed since Saturday, with a petrel in Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="210" data-entity-type="location">South Australia becoming the latest animal to test positive on Wednesday. Photograph: Lori-Ann Shibish/Esperance Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary/Reuters View image in fullscreen A dead brown skua was among the first cases of bird flu in Australia confirmed since Saturday, with a petrel in Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="210" data-entity-type="location">South Australia becoming the latest animal to test positive on Wednesday. Photograph: Lori-Ann Shibish/Esperance Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary/Reuters bird flu confirmed in Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="210" data-entity-type="location">South Australia as infected petrel brings deadly H5N1 cases to three An additional case is suspected in Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="706" data-entity-type="location">Western Australia, which would bring the total number of bird flu infections to four Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Deadly H5 bird flu has been confirmed in two Australian states after a migratory seabird tested positive for the disease in Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="210" data-entity-type="location">South Australia. Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="706" data-entity-type="location">Western Australia also has another suspected positive case, in a southern giant petrel, found dead in the Quindalup region in the state’s south west. The South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, said a giant petrel had been found unwell on Knights Beach in Port Elliot on 14 June. The WA agriculture minister, Jackie Jarvis, also confirmed a third suspected case in that state in a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. The state has been investigating reports from the public of dead and unwell birds after two migratory birds near Esperance tested positive last week for the deadly strain that has devastated wildlife populations globally. Jarvis said test samples from the third case, a southern giant petrel also from the subantarctic region, had been sent to the CSIRO for confirmation. Speaking with the federal agriculture minister, Julie Collins, in Canberra, Malinauskas said authorities were alerted on 19 June to social media posts indicating the bird was in care with Wildlife Welfare Organisation SA. He said authorities “responded quickly” and the animal was tested for H5 bird flu, with a positive result confirmed by the CSIRO on Wednesday. Malinauskas said the government was in contact with volunteers who had come into contact with unwell birds and would prescribe the antiviral Tamiflu if necessary. “It’s very, very important now that we have received a positive result from Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="210" data-entity-type="location">South Australia, that people are very aware that they can report any signs of bird life that is unwell or dead,” he said. “They can do that through our hotline, which is again something I encourage people to call if in doubt.” Justin Biddle, wildlife rescue centre manager for Wildlife Welfare Organisation, said the confirmed SA case had been brought into the organisation’s centre in Goolwa on 14 June, before the announcement of two bird flu cases in Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="706" data-entity-type="location">Western Australia. View image in fullscreen The sick giant petrel was found on Knights Beach, Port Elliot, Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="210" data-entity-type="location">South Australia. Tests later confirmed the bird had the H5N1 bird flu strain. Photograph: Wildlife Welfare Org. “We get a few giant petrels come in each year. This one was showing signs of being beach washed and debilitated,” he said. He said the bird was cared for at the centre until Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="210" data-entity-type="location">South Australia’s primary industries authority, Pirsa, were alerted by a social media post about petrels arriving at the centre. He said Pirsa had carried out an initial swab test which was negative, but had then called to say that test was inconclusive. “They called back and picked up the bird [on 23 June]. It was relatively fit and healthy and was putting on weight,” he said. Collins said there continued to be no evidence H5 bird flu had spread to poultry animals or to local wildlife. The chief veterinary officer, Beth Cookson, said it was concerning to have a confirmed detection in another jurisdiction of the deadly bird flu strain that has devastated wildlife populations globally. 3:51 There’s more than one bird flu: what recent outbreaks mean for Australia – video She said genome testing on the brown skua, the first confirmed case, had isolated the likely source of its infection to the subantarctic territories “and in particular the Heard Island and McDonald Islands”. Scientists recently confirmed thousands of southern elephant seal pups on Heard Island and hundreds of adult king penguins in the subantarctic had died from the disease through 2025 and 2026. Collins said on Wednesday that a suspension imposed by Papua New Guinea on imports of Australian poultry products had been lifted. PNG had imposed the restriction on all poultry products on Monday. The Invasive Species Council said confirmation H5 bird flu had been detected in another state “highlights the growing threat facing Australian wildlife”. The organisation reiterated earlier calls from wildlife groups for an urgent $200m in funding for conservation measures to support the bird flu response by reducing other threats to species. “The concern now is not whether Australia is taking the threat seriously – it clearly is. The concern is how well our wildlife will cope when bird flu inevitably reaches more native bird and mammal populations,” policy director Carol Booth said. Explore more on these topics bird flu Birds Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="706" data-entity-type="location">Western Australia Animals Wildlife Australia" class="entity-link entity-location" data-entity-id="210" data-entity-type="location">South Australia Peter Malinauskas news Share Reuse this content