Bird flu decimates seals, leaving horrific sights of dead animals

Viruses like to jump among animal species.

In 2023, a highly pathogenic bird flu spread to seals in South America, killing nearly 17,000 elephant seal pups (about 97 percent of the vulnerable animals) and an unknown number of adults at a large breeding colony at Península Valdés in Argentina. A new genetic analysis published in the journal Science Nature Communicationdetermined that the virus evolved after entering this marine mammal population and spread easily among the seals, possibly triggering a transnational epidemic.

The results underscore the risk of bird flu spreading in animals, including us. After all some 75 percent The majority of infectious diseases that occur in humans originate from other animal species. These are known as zoonotic diseases.

“We think that H5N1 viruses becoming more evolutionarily flexible and adapting to mammals in new ways could have global consequences for wildlife, humans, and/or livestock,” the scientists wrote.

FYI: The pictures below show dead seals and birds.

The recent dramatic results for elephant seals in Península Valdés can be seen in the images below.

“We are completely appalled by the dramatic impact of the bird flu epidemic on this population,” Valeria Falabella, co-author of the study and director of coastal and marine conservation at the Argentine Wildlife Conservation Society, said in a statement. he said. “Probably more than half of the breeding population has died from the virus. It will take decades for numbers to return to 2022 population size.”

Before the seals died, researchers observed signs of infection in the pups, including labored breathing, shivering, difficulty moving and a runny nose.

Carcasses of elephant seal pups were documented in Punta Delgada, Argentina, in October 2023.
Credit: Marcela Uhart / UC Davis

Image of the skeletal remains of elephant seal pups at the Península Valdés colony, dated August 2024. The epidemic occurred in 2023.
Credit: Marcela Uhart / UC Davis

Foreground: Remains of a dead seal pup on the Valdés Peninsula. In the background: young elephant seals on the beach.
Credit: Ralph Vanstreels / UC Davis

Dead seal pups seen off the coast of Punta Delgada, Argentina, in October 2023.
Credit: Ralph Vanstreels / UC Davis

Samples taken from infected seals showed that the H5N1 virus could become increasingly adaptable to new hosts. Viruses found in seals and birds (e.g., terns) in Argentina formed a distinct clade or group that also spread to seals in Peru, Chile, Brazil, and Uruguay.

This virus is not going away. Although it has not been detected in colonies of seaweed, which has been decimated by 2024, it is “common in wild birds and has caused outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows, with recent cases reported among dairy and poultry workers,” UC Davis said. . researchers worked on the new study, explained. Fortunately, the virus does not spread from people to other people; however, some US dairy and poultry workers are infected (as of November 11, 46 people in the US were reported infected). According to HKM).

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Researchers will continue to monitor the spread of this virus in the wild and elsewhere to understand how it evolves.

Of course, it is unknown when and where the next new viral outbreak in humans will come from. It could be a long time. Or not. It could be something else coronavirus. Or another flu virus that causes devastating consequences 1918 flu pandemic (and a bird flu). But one thing is certain, although it is sometimes easy to forget, we history is full of epidemics.