Tasmania Prepares for Inevitable Arrival of Deadly H5 Bird Flu

Tasmania is waiting for a deadly strain of bird flu to reach its shores as cases spread on the mainland and authorities warn it is not a matter of if, but when.

H5 bird flu has spread across the globe, killing millions of wild birds, tens of thousands of wild mammals and devastating poultry industries.

Since arriving in Western Australia in June, it has shown up in wild seabirds in all jurisdictions except for Tasmania, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.

Australia has now confirmed its first mass mortality in greater crested terns at Baudin Rocks, off Cape Jaffa in South Australia.

Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said while not unexpected, it was a disappointing development.

"Sadly, we do know that once the H5 bird flu is spreading in wildlife and the natural environment, it is not possible to avoid significant losses, which is what we're starting to see now," she said.

As the interstate tally grows, Tasmania's Chief Veterinary Officer Deborah McSweyn said the probability of arrival increased.

Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania secretary Jason Jacobi said an incident management team had been working "around the clock" to prepare.

"We all need to remain calm, our response needs to be measured, we cannot afford to catastrophise this, but we all need to be ready for the fact that it will be hard," he told 936 ABC Radio Hobart.

Where exactly the bird flu will hit first remains in question, but Mr Jacobi suspected it would be along the coast.

"These are typically going to be birds like crested terns, giant petrels, brown skuas that have come in from remote coastal islands, so it's likely that they will arrive on the beaches, but they could turn up anywhere," he said.

The incident management team has been patrolling beaches, including at King Island and the Furneaux Islands.

"We've now stood up a four-week program of drone surveillance of all of our coastline, and that is also being supported by on-ground land-based patrolling," Mr Jacobi said.

But authorities stressed efforts relied on the reporting of sick or dead birds.

"Use your phone or any other mechanism you've got to record the condition of the bird and its location; we need to know where it is, we need to be able to identify what species of wild bird or wild animal it might be, and then report it."

Dr McSweyn said symptoms included swimming in circles, coughing and sneezing, an inability to stand or fly, swelling in the head, neck and eyes, a twisted neck, and change in colour or cloudiness in the eyes, but warned some dead birds would be asymptomatic.

She said other animals could experience seizures, tremors, poor coordination, difficulty breathing, a runny nose and drooling.

As of Monday morning, there were 324 reports from across Tasmania.

Tasmanian Aboriginal communities are also playing a part.

At Little Musselroe Bay, in Tasmania's far north-east, eight Tebrakunna rangers are stepping up beach patrols, ready to work with authorities if all turns "pear-shaped".

"I just thought, well, we might do a few more beach clean-ups, just to keep an eye on if birds are washing up, so we've been doing that," senior ranger Matt Cameron said.

"It will definitely be a big effort to keep on top of it."

Meanwhile, the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre has 45 Pakana rangers ready to assist across the state.

"We are concerned that the arrival of bird flu will impact one of our oldest cultural practices, the harvesting of yula/mutton birds," division manager culture and country Andry Sculthorpe said.

"It's hard to describe how significant this could be for our people. Muttonbirding is a cultural practice that has helped sustain us for millennia and survive the attempted genocide of our people."

Challenge for farmers

Tasmania's response team has also been working with poultry farmers to ensure they are ready to protect flocks against bird flu.

But it is particularly challenging for free-range producers, including Paul Hallier, who farms Muscovy ducks for meat at Birralee with his wife.

"We run an outside pasture-based system, so there is a limit to how feasible it is for us to get birds inside," he said.

"We are feeding morning and night, which means that we're not leaving food out on pasture to encourage wild birds to come and visit, and only giving them enough food so that they eat it within sort of 10 to 15 minutes."

The farmer said he monitored birds daily, noting anything abnormal, and would inform authorities if there was a sudden influx of sick or dying birds.

"It would be shutting down the farm entirely, not letting anyone in and out and doing what they direct, which may just be isolating, it may be culling, we don't know until it turns up," he said.