More than 1,000 little penguins have received their first dose of bird flu vaccine in Victoria, in what is believed to be the world’s largest vaccination program involving wild birds. Catherine Basterfield, the chief executive of Phillip Island Nature Parks, said vaccinations began early last week and were ramping up. Those same birds would receive a second dose in three weeks’ time.
Little penguins are the world’s smallest species of penguin – about a ruler’s length in height – and found only in southern Australia and New Zealand. The birds, which are not listed as threatened under federal environment laws, are considered at “very high risk” from the deadly bird flu, according to a national risk assessment. The population on Phillip Island is about 40,000 birds.
The island’s “penguin parade” is a major tourist attraction, drawing about 700,000 visitors each year and contributing about $500m to the state’s economy. The large-scale wildlife vaccination program was announced by the Victorian government on 12 August, with vaccines supplied by the federal agriculture department. Positive bird flu cases on Phillip Island, including one in a little penguin, have increased the sense of urgency, with the team working to vaccinate as many as possible over the coming weeks.
South Australia also reported a confirmed case in a little penguin on Kangaroo Island on Sunday. On King Island in Tasmania, 51 of the animals died, with the deaths presumed to have been caused by bird flu, after one sample tested positive. An Arthur Rylah Institute report published last year said it would take 10 weeks for penguins to reach peak immunity, and that administering vaccines after H5N1 arrived could be “too late, because significant mortality is likely to occur before adequate vaccine coverage is achieved”.
In a worst-case scenario, the report said, up to 16,000 little penguins could die. A federal agriculture spokesperson said vaccination was “one tool” that could reduce the impact on vulnerable native birds, but was “not a standalone solution”. They are a seabird that will come in contact with other seabirds that carry the virus.
And we also know that they’re an iconic species that have high value to Victorians.” Dr John Cockrem, an emeritus professor at Massey University in New Zealand, who researches little penguins, said H5 bird flu was an added threat to the species, which were already affected by severe storms, sea level rise and changes in food availability due to the climate crisis.
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