In the Antarctic, the first cases of death of penguins from bird flu were probably discovered
[ad_1]
Researchers suspect that representatives of two species of penguins died of bird flu in the Antarctic.
Scientists suggest that the virus can spread quickly through colonies of these seabirds, reports The Guardian.
At least one king penguin in the Antarctic is believed to have died of bird flu. According to the latest information from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, a suspicious case was recorded on the island of South Georgia.
A suspected H5N1 death of a skipper penguin was also discovered in the same area.
| Probably, the first cases of death of penguins from bird flu were recorded in the Antarctic. Photo: nicholas_dale/Depositphotos |
Separately, at least one skipper penguin with more than 20 chicks has been confirmed dead from H5N1 on the Falkland Islands – 1,500 kilometers west of South Georgia.
In addition, since the appearance of H5N1 in the Antarctic, there has been an increase in mass deaths of elephant seals, as well as fur seals, brown gulls and brown terns.
Previous outbreaks in South Africa, Chile and Argentina have shown that penguins are susceptible to the disease. Since the disease reached South America, more than 500,000 seabirds have died from it, with penguins, pelicans and seals the most affected.
“Given their colonial social organization, one can only guess how quickly the disease will travel through the colonies.” – said Diana Bell, professor of conservation biology at the University of East Anglia.
Currently, not a single case of the disease has been recorded on the mainland of Antarctica. However, this may be due to the fact that there are very few people who could detect it.
H5N1 has also reached the Arctic. In December, the first death of a polar bear was confirmed there.
It will be recalled that in Argentina, 96% of baby elephant seals and 220 flamingos died due to bird flu.
Read also: Ice continent and penguins that cannot be hugged. What do you know about Antarctica? TEST
[ad_2]
Original Source Link
