Bird flu detected in Antarctica region for first time
- Samples taken from dead birds in South Georgia, north of Antarctica’s main land mass
- Virus was most likely brought by birds returning from their migration to South America
Bird flu has been detected in the Antarctica region for the first time, according to British experts, raising concerns the deadly virus could pose a threat to penguins and other local species.
Scientists had been fearing that the worst outbreak of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in history would reach Antarctica, a key breeding ground for many birds.
The British Antarctic Survey said its staff took samples from brown skua seabirds after they died on Bird Island in South Georgia, a British overseas territory east of South America’s tip and north of Antarctica’s main land mass.
The tests were sent to Britain and came back positive, the UK’s polar research institute said in a statement on Monday.
The virus was most likely brought by birds returning from their migration to South America, where there has been a huge number of bird flu cases, it added.
