Environment & Climate
Dolphin dies from H5 bird flu in South Australia as researchers evacuate Macquarie Island
A common dolphin has tested positive for H5N1 in South Australia, while the federal government withdraws 24 researchers from a sub-Antarctic base over mental health concerns.
The short version
- A common dolphin tested positive for H5 bird flu near Goolwa, South Australia, making it the country's second native mammal species confirmed with the virus.
- Australia is withdrawing 24 expeditioners from Macquarie Island due to the psychosocial risk of witnessing predicted mass elephant seal deaths during the upcoming breeding season.
- South Australian health authorities will now confirm H5 bird flu cases locally rather than sending samples to the CSIRO in Geelong for verification.
- New South Wales announced plans to vaccinate wild little penguins and has begun trial vaccinations for captive bird populations at Taronga Zoo.
Key facts
- A common dolphin found dead near Goolwa on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula tested positive for H5N1 in state-level tests.[The Guardian]
- The Australian federal government announced the withdrawal of 24 expeditioners from the Macquarie Island research station due to potential psychological impacts from expected mass seal deaths.[The Guardian]
- H5 bird flu has not yet been detected on Macquarie Island, but drone surveys previously identified over 13,000 dead southern elephant seal pups on Heard Island across 2025 and 2026.[The Guardian]
- South Australia will begin confirming local H5 bird flu cases in state laboratories rather than relying on verification from the CSIRO in Geelong.[The Guardian]
- New South Wales plans to vaccinate wild little penguins at Manly and Barunguba Montague Island, having already administered initial vaccine trials to captive birds at Taronga Zoo.[The Guardian]
What remains uncertain
- Dolphin tissue samples have been sent to the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness for further analysis to complement initial state test results.[The Guardian]
- The Australian government is still evaluating alternative options for monitoring wildlife conditions on Macquarie Island after withdrawing research personnel.[The Guardian]