Published 09.56
An aggressive strain of bird flu has killed more than 13,000 seal pups on Heard and McDonald Islands, a remote archipelago belonging to Australia, according to local scientists.
The virus was discovered during an expedition in October 2025, when researchers traveling to the islands noticed that they were covered in dead seals.
Genetic tests confirmed that the H5 virus also killed penguins and other birds. Southern elephant seal pups were hardest hit, with mortality in some colonies reaching 97 percent.
Scientists believe that the infection came in August 2025 via animals from the Crozet Islands. It is the first time the virus has been detected in an Australian outer territory and is seen as another sign that the infection is spreading eastwards. The archipelago is located 4,000 kilometers southwest of Australia and is uninhabited.
