Victoria Vaccinates 1,000 Little Penguins Against H5N1 as 5,000-Bird Program Ramps Up
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Aug 24
Victoria Vaccinates 1,000 Little Penguins Against H5N1 as 5,000-Bird Program Ramps Up
3 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Aug 24
Summary
More than 1,000 little penguins on Phillip Island and at St Kilda have received a first H5N1 vaccine dose in what officials say is the world’s largest wild-bird vaccination effort.
About 5,000 birds are due to get two doses, with teams trapping penguins as they return to the same burrows at night; roughly 300 were recently weighed, microchipped, vaccinated and released.
The push accelerated after positive bird flu cases on Phillip Island, including one little penguin, while South Australia confirmed another case on Kangaroo Island and 51 penguins died on Tasmania’s King Island in a suspected outbreak.
Victoria says the birds are both ecologically and economically important: Phillip Island’s colony numbers about 40,000, and its penguin parade draws 700,000 visitors a year and contributes about $500 million to the state economy.
Researchers and officials say vaccination is only one tool, warning peak immunity takes about 10 weeks and a worst-case scenario could kill up to 16,000 little penguins.