Bird-flu toll isn’t heavy on Galápagos Islands... so far

In March, birds and mammals on the Galápagos Islands were faring better than many scientists had feared amid the ongoing avian-flu panzootic. (Photo courtesy of Galápagos National Park)

The recent detection in Antarctica of the sometimes highly pathogenic H5 subtype of avian flu in Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae), Antarctic cormorants (Leucocarbo bransfieldensis) and south polar skuas (Stercorarius maccormicki) has fanned fears of significant animal deaths there. The findings have also stirred concerns about continued worldwide propagation and spread of the avian influenza, which has pummeled bird and marine mammal populations around the world, particularly in South America along the continent’s migratory bird routes. A study published in the March edition of the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases says 26 countries found H5 infection in at least 48 mammal species from 2020 to 2023. Most were terrestrial, but some were marine mammals, with sea lions hit particularly hard in Peru, Chile and Argentina. In March 2023, Chile reported 1,535 sea lion and 730 penguin deaths from avian flu up to that point in the year, while Peru said 3,492 sea... Read more →