Bird Flu: Thousands of Baby Seals Died On Two Remote Sub-Antarctic Islands | WION News

[00:00:00]A remote island in Southern Ocean, untouched and isolated for generations, has become the center of a new wildlife crisis. A virus that once spread mainly among birds has now crossed into a new environment, and now thousands of seal pups have become victims of a changing disease landscape. Here's a report on it. Take a look.

[00:00:21]>> [music] >> Fearsomely wild, uninhabited by humans, and surrounded by the freezing waters of the Southern Ocean, Australia's World Heritage listed Heard Island is a pristine paradise.

[00:00:41]Located 4,000 [music] km southwest of Perth, this sub-Antarctic volcanic outcrop has long served as a safe haven for over 1 million breeding seabirds and marine mammals.

[00:00:53]>> [music] >> It is a landscape defined by extreme [music] isolation, where nature has thrived undisturbed for millennia.

[00:01:03]But when researchers [music] from the Australian Antarctic Program stepped onto the gray volcanic beaches, the pristine silence was broken by a scene of absolute devastation.

[00:01:14]This remote ecosystem has witnessed [music] one of the largest wildlife losses linked to bird flu.

[00:01:23]>> [music] >> More than 13,000 southern elephant seal pups have died after a highly pathogenic [music] strain of avian influenza spread through the colony.

[00:01:34]The virus behind the outbreak is [music] H5N1, a strain that has caused major outbreaks among wild birds and poultry around the world.

[00:01:44]But scientists are now watching [music] a different concern. The virus is showing its ability to jump between species.

[00:01:51]>> [music] >> The movement of viruses between animals is not [music] new.

[00:01:58]Many viruses naturally circulate in wildlife, but when a virus crosses from one species into another, scientists pay close attention [music] because new hosts can create new opportunities for spread and adaptation.

[00:02:14]In this case, [music] researchers believe the virus reached marine mammals after circulating among infected birds.

[00:02:22]The seals, especially vulnerable young pups gathered in large colonies, became [music] exposed in an environment where close contact helped transmission.

[00:02:33]Southern elephant seals are among the largest seals on Earth.

[00:02:37]They travel vast distances through the oceans, making their health important not only for one island, but for understanding how diseases can move through marine ecosystems.

[00:02:48]Scientists [music] say the outbreak is a warning sign, but not a reason for panic.

[00:02:53]There is currently no evidence [music] suggesting this event represents a widespread threat to humans.

[00:02:59]Instead, it highlights [music] how interconnected wildlife systems have become.