Dolphin Dies From H5 Bird Flu in South Australia, Second Native Mammal Species Affected

A dolphin has died from H5 bird flu in South Australia, marking the second native mammal species known to have contracted the virus. The common dolphin was found recently deceased near Goolwa on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula. State tests confirmed the animal was positive for H5N1, with samples sent to the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness for further analysis.

It follows two earlier detections in long-nosed fur seals in SA at Beachport and the Pages Islands and a case in a red fox – a feral pest species – near Port Adelaide. The federal government's risk assessment rated common dolphins at high risk from bird flu, meaning they potentially face severe population declines where the virus takes hold. "While the detection in the common dolphin is a new development in Australia, there is evidence of dolphins and porpoises catching H5 bird flu overseas, a spokesperson for SA's Department of Primary Industries and Regions said. "Dolphins would not commonly eat birds but it is not unusual for them to sometimes interact.