Fur seal’s death marks first Australian mainland mammal fatality from spreading H5 bird flu strain

Seal found dead at Beachport in South Australia presages ‘significant losses’, minister warns Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A long-nosed fur seal has died from H5 bird flu in South Australia, marking the first confirmed case in a mammal on the Australian mainland. The seal was found dead at Beachport on Wednesday on the state’s Limestone Coast. It marks a fresh escalation in the spread of the virus days after the South Australian premier, Peter Malinauskas, announced three mass mortality events on offshore islands involving more than 1,000 greater crested terns. The federal agriculture minister, Julie Collins, said the seal death was “not unexpected” as the virus begins to spread through the country. Speaking in Hobart on Sunday, Collins said the “distressing” news of the first confirmed case of a mammal on the mainland was anticipated and that it was “not possible to avoid significant losses”. “An infection of this individual animal is likely to have occurred due to exposure to infected wild birds or the environment that they share,” she said. “We can’t stop it spreading