Weeks after scientists suspected and confirmed deaths of elephant and fur seals attributable to hen flu within the British Overseas Territory (BOT) of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands close to Antarctica, there at the moment are stories of a minimum of three penguin deaths from the area.

A King penguin loss of life was recorded on South Georgia island, based on the most recent replace from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). A gentoo penguin was additionally suspected to have died from H5N1 on the similar location.

Another gentoo penguin is confirmed to have died of hen flu on Sea Lion island within the Falklands, one other BOT close to South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

The loss of life of the gentoo penguin within the Falklands was reported on January 19, whereas the king penguin loss of life in South Georgia was reported on January 10.

Over 20 penguin chicks are reportedly lifeless or displaying signs of the illness, based on SCAR.

Avian Influenza is a extremely contagious viral illness which has swept populations of birds and mammals internationally. Since 2021, its variant often known as HPAI H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has been dominated and brought on outbreaks, resulting in the deaths of tens of millions of birds within the United Kingdom, South America, Europe and South Africa.

In October 2023, hen flu arrived within the sub-Antarctic area after travelling from South America via sea birds. It contaminated elephant and fur seals, brown skua and kelp gulls amongst others, leading to mass an infection and mortality.

At least 20,000 sea lions have reportedly died as a result of illness in Chile and Peru alone. Over 500,000 seabirds — together with penguins, pelicans and others — have died of the illness.

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In December 2023, the primary loss of life of a polar bear attributable to avian flu was reported from the Arctic.

The circumstances brought on concern among the many scientific neighborhood, who warned of the illness reaching penguin colonies situated within the distant components of Antarctica.

Speaking with The Guardian, Norman Ratcliffe, a seabird ecologist with the British Antarctic Survey, mentioned about 98 per cent of the worldwide inhabitants of fur seals was present in South Georgia. The area hosted “globally important populations of elephant and fur seals [and these] populations are now at risk from large declines”, he added.

A threat evaluation carried out by researchers warned in regards to the virus ripping throughout densely populated colonies of penguins by the austral (southern) spring that will result in “one of the largest ecological disasters of modern times”.

So far, no suspected or confirmed case of an infection has been reported from mainland Antarctica, based on SCAR.