Are thousands of penguins dying in Antarctica due to bird flu?

Researchers are looking for an answer to the above question after last month's expedition discovered at least 532 dead Adelie penguins , the actual number could even be up to thousands.

Is bird flu the cause of thousands of penguin deaths in Antarctica?

 Penguins on Paradise Bay in Gerlache Strait, Antarctica. (Photo: AFP/TTXVN).

The Australian Federation University made the above announcement and said that researchers are suspecting the H5N1 avian influenza virus is the cause of the penguin deaths and accurate results are expected in the next few months. when conducting scientific tests.

Scientists are especially concerned that the H5N1 avian flu virus could kill endangered penguins and other animals in remote Antarctica.

The virus has spread rapidly in wildlife since appearing in South America in 2022 and quickly spread to Antarctica with the first case recorded in February this year.

Wildlife biologist Meagan Dewar of Australia's Federation University, who participated in the above expedition, said that this could have a major impact on wildlife, which is already being affected by climate change and climate change. other environmental pressures.

According to Ms. Dewar, the dead Adelie penguins were found on Heroina Island frozen at temperatures below 0 degrees Celsius and covered with snow.

Ms. Dewar and the research team could not count all the penguin bodies on such a large island, and estimate that several thousand more may have died after their expedition.

Heroina Island has about 280,000 Adelie penguins breeding each year.

Ms. Dewar's expedition discovered the H5 avian flu strain in skua seabirds - birds of prey that eat eggs and baby penguins, on the Antarctic Peninsula and three nearby islands.

According to the British Antarctic Survey, each year in Antarctica there are about 20 million pairs of penguins breeding, including the emperor penguin species that scientists fear will almost become extinct by the end of the century. This is due to climate change causing ice to melt.

Melting ice caused thousands of baby emperor penguins to drown in 2022.

Ms. Dewar said that emperor penguins are now at risk of facing an increased threat from avian influenza virus and this threat could be present next spring.