Source : Perth Now news
South Australian authorities have confirmed the first case of bird flu in a sea lion found at a nearby island.
The state’s Environment Minister Emily Bourke said a sea lion was found at Seal Bay on Kangaroo Island, southwest of Adelaide.
“We’re seeing a number of mammal cases, but the Australian sea lion is the rarest seal found in our Australian waters,” she said on Sunday.
Sea lions are an endangered species, with an estimated population of fewer than 10,000.
Ms Bourke said about 85 per cent of its population were found in South Australia, with the remaining 15 per cent found in Western Australia.
“Today we are confirming our first case in this endangered species here in South Australia,” she said.
She said the sea lion had been attacked by a shark and was wounded in the process.
However, the shark attack didn’t kill the sea lion, with Ms Bourke confirming it died from bird flu.
“What we are noticing is the bird flu case that killed this particular sea lion as it was recovering from a shark attack,” she said.
This is the fourth mammal species to contract H5 bird flu.
She said the South Australian government were taking steps to prevent further deaths in the endangered species, including installing seal huts, a feral catch program to reduce feral cats in the region and rolled out a hookworm program.
“We want to make our seals as resilient as possible,” Ms Bourke said.
