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The first case of the highly contagious H5 strain of bird flu has been detected in Australia, ending its status as the only continent previously free of the virus.
The country’s agriculture minister, Julie Collins, announced on Saturday that the virus had been identified in a migratory seabird, a brown skua, in a remote part of Western Australia. The finding was verified by the national science agency, with a second suspected positive case also recorded in a nearby giant petrel that had shown signs of illness.
Samples from another sick bird, a giant petrel found in the same area, had also shown a suspected positive result.
Australia had been the last continent without confirmed circulation of the H5 strain, which is known for causing severe outbreaks in poultry and wild bird populations globally.
“Whilst disappointing, this is not unexpected, given the global spread of the H5 bird flu,” Collins told reporters in Canberra.
Despite the confirmation, authorities said there was no immediate evidence of widespread animal deaths or transmission to domestic poultry.
“I can confirm there is still no evidence of any mass mortalities at this time, nor is there any evidence of infection in any poultry,” she said.
Officials have since convened an emergency meeting of animal health and agricultural authorities to coordinate a national response and assess containment strategies.
“We all knew we couldn’t be bird flu-free forever,” Collins added.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the development as worrying but said the country had been preparing for such an eventuality, pointing to the role of migratory birds in spreading the virus across borders.
“This is something that has happened through migratory birds, and has happened by definition around the world, and this is why we are preparing for this,” he said.
The H5 strain has been linked to high mortality rates among poultry, wild birds, and some mammal species internationally. It has also been detected in animals including cats, goats, alpacas, and pigs.
Wildlife experts warn that the virus could pose significant risks to native species in Australia, a country with high levels of endemic biodiversity.
Almost half of Australia’s bird species and the majority of its mammals are found nowhere else in the world.
Threatened Species Commissioner Fiona Fraser said authorities are preparing targeted conservation measures, including captive breeding programmes for vulnerable species such as the Tasmanian devil, black swan, little penguin, and Australian sea lion.
“There could clearly be population-level impacts for our species,” Fraser said.
The virus was identified in a remote wilderness area about 630 kilometres southeast of Perth, on the country’s west coast. Investigators are now examining whether migratory birds from the sub-Antarctic may have carried the infection into Australia.
The announcement comes after scientists reported earlier in the week that the same H5 strain had killed more than 13,000 elephant seal pups on Heard and McDonald Islands, an Australian external territory in the sub-Antarctic region.
