South Australia has confirmed its first case of H5 bird flu in an Australian sea lion, after the endangered animal was found at Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island, south-west of Adelaide.
Environment Minister Emily Bourke said the sea lion had been attacked by a shark and wounded, but later died from bird flu while recovering from its injuries.
“What we are noticing is the bird flu case that killed this particular sea lion as it was recovering from a shark attack,” Ms Bourke said.
The Australian sea lion is the rarest seal found in Australian waters, with an estimated population of fewer than 10,000. About 85% of the species is found in South Australia, while the remaining 15% is in Western Australia.
“Today we are confirming our first case in this endangered species here in South Australia,” Ms Bourke said on Sunday.
The case marks the fourth mammal species to contract H5 bird flu. Ms Bourke said the South Australian Government was taking steps to help prevent further deaths among the endangered animals.
Those measures include installing seal huts, running a feral catch programme to reduce feral cats in the region and rolling out a hookworm programme.
“We want to make our seals as resilient as possible,” Ms Bourke said.
