'Penguin Parade' Undergoes Vaccinations for Bird Flu
More than 1,000 little penguins have been vaccinated as officials move to protect wildlife after 298 bird flu detections nationwide.
- On Sunday, authorities confirmed Australia's first mammal death from H5 bird flu after a long-nosed fur seal was found dead at Beachport in South Australia, around 300 kilometres south of Adelaide.
- Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins warned that more casualties are inevitable as the virus spreads through the natural environment; the seal likely contracted the strain due to its close proximity to infected birds like crested terns.
- Phillip Island Nature Parks teams have vaccinated more than 1,000 little penguins so far, with authorities aiming to protect 5,000 birds in what represents a world-leading vaccination effort to safeguard the colony.
- Describing the project as unprecedented, Phillip Island Nature Parks CEO Catherine Basterfield noted it was "the first time that anyone around the world has attempted something like this at this scale," citing the difficulty of handling penguins.
- While Environment Minister Murray Watt claims government investment has made wildlife "more resilient," critics continue to call for an ignored $200 million bird flu funding package to address the spreading crisis.
10 Articles
10 Articles
Australia’s bird flu response: too little, but it’s not too late
tracielouise/Getty ImagesWhen news broke over the weekend that Australia’s first mainland bird flu case in a mammal – the death of a long-nosed fur seal – had been detected, I felt deep sadness and dread for what’s likely to come next. We should expect large scale deaths of mammals, in addition to birds. The deadly strain of H5N1 bird flu has been spreading across Australia and devastating wildlife. So infection in a mammal was tragically just a…
THOUSANDS OF LITTLE PENGUINS VACCINATED AGAINST BIRD FLU IN AUSTRALIA
Sat 22 August 2026: Australian wildlife authorities are vaccinating thousands of little penguins against H5 bird flu in a major effort to protect the species. The campaign, which began Monday, targets up to 5,000 little penguins on Victoria’s Phillip Island and at St Kilda in Melbourne. The birds will receive two doses of the vaccine, […]
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