First Mass Mortality of Australian Wildlife from H5 Bird Flu Confirmed

The first mass mortality of Australian wildlife from the deadly H5 bird flu has been confirmed in greater crested terns found on an island off South Australia's south-east coast.

It follows testing of samples from dead and sick birds detected by aerial surveillance on an island called Baudin Rocks, about 5 kilometres south of Cape Jaffa in South Australia, on Friday.

There are now 74 confirmed cases of bird flu: 54 of those are in South Australia, 10 in Western Australia, seven in Victoria, two in New South Wales and one in Queensland.

Federal Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said the mass mortality was expected.

Ms Collins said there was no evidence of the bird flu in poultry or agricultural systems and the risk to human health remained low.

"We have invested and worked really closely with our agriculture, particularly our poultry sector, in terms of improved and increasing biosecurity to do everything we can do to keep it out of our agriculture system, she said.

"But you do tend to see spillover impacts across the globe when it comes to the H5."

Ms Collins said Australians could expect to see bird flu continue to spread, with larger numbers of wildlife affected.

"There will be ongoing surveillance which will continue to determine whether the H5 bird flu is established more broadly in Australian wildlife and we will continue to inform the public where the H5 bird flu has been detected," she said.

Ms Collins said if there were large numbers of dead animals and birds, the government would take expert advice on whether to bury them locally, remove them or leave them in place.

'Long and difficult journey' for wildlife

Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt said overseas experience showed the spread of the disease could not be stopped in wild birds and mammals.

"The reality is you can't stop native and wild birds flying around, and you can't stop wild animals moving around, and that will mean more mass mortality events like the one we have now seen," he said.

Mr Watt said the national management plan for H5 bird flu had been activated, releasing an extra $24 million from state and federal governments.

"That builds on the $113 million that the Albanese government has already invested to make sure that we are as prepared as possible," he said.

Threatened Species Commissioner Fiona Fraser said bird migration over the coming months would bring increased risk of disease transmission.

"We expect many of those birds will be arriving soon ... and where they congregate in numbers, mix with other bird species in Australia which may already be infected, there is absolutely increased risk of transmission and further mortality events," Dr Fraser said.

Dr Fraser said there was a risk that the disease would move into important inland wetlands across Australia.

“We cannot stop mortality events at those wetland areas, but we can do that work to build resilience,” she said.

“That includes activities such as habitat enhancement, water management, but also the removal of invasive predators … animals such as pigs, foxes and feral cats to best manage these pressures that these bird species face.”