{"id":598225,"date":"2026-08-28T03:10:36","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T03:10:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/598225\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T03:10:36","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T03:10:36","slug":"h5n1-avian-influenza-vaccine-taronga-zoo-trials-new-rollout-for-little-penguins-and-endangered-bird-species","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/598225\/","title":{"rendered":"H5N1 avian influenza vaccine: Taronga Zoo trials new rollout for little penguins and endangered bird species"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Caitlin<\/p>\n

August 28, 2026 \u2014 11:55am<\/p>\n

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Little penguins, black cockatoos, emus and owls at Taronga Zoo are among the first recipients of a vaccination for H5N1 avian influenza, while the NSW government has urged owners of backyard chickens or of pet birds to take extra precautions.<\/p>\n

Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said the vaccine rollout will expand to include wild populations, including the little penguins in Manly and Barunguba Montague Island off Narooma on the South Coast.<\/p>\n

\"EnvironmentEnvironment Minister Penny Sharpe (second from left) and Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty (centre) in the aviary at Taronga Zoo.George Chan<\/p>\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t know how the vaccine will work in our birds,\u201d Sharpe said. \u201cIt\u2019s why this program starting this week is so important. We need to roll it out carefully and cautiously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Taronga Conservation Society Australia started vaccinating birds this week, and has so far given the first dose to 70 animals across 18 species. The birds in the trial will remain in a controlled environment for 14 days after their second dose so they can be closely monitored.<\/p>\n

Dr Karrie Rose, veterinary pathologist at Taronga Zoo, said the vaccination trial would measure the safety and efficacy of the vaccine across a broader range of species than had previously been tested. This would inform how frequently vaccination needed to occur in different species.<\/p>\n

\"AA gang-gang cockatoo at Taronga Zoo.George Chan<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re also not waiting for the basis of those trials,\u201d Rose said. \u201cWe\u2019re starting our operational vaccination of Taronga animals, and then we\u2019ll also be working with [National] Parks and Wildlife Service, to support their work in vaccinating free-ranging species,\u201d Rose said.<\/p>\n

Ingrid Emery, executive director conservation programs at the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, said it was \u201clogistically complex\u201d to vaccinate wild populations because you had to access sometimes remote locations and find the same bird 28 days later.<\/p>\n

\"AgricultureAgriculture Minister Tara Moriarty flanked by chief veterinary officer Dr Joanne Coombe (left) and Environment Minister Penny Sharpe (right).George Chan<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019re starting with the population of little penguins,\u201d she said. \u201cLittle penguins are very faithful to where they nest. They\u2019ll catch them between when they leave the water and when they enter their nest box, and then they will handle them and eventually provide them with the vaccination, and then 28 days later, or two, three to four weeks later, they will have to do the same procedure.\u201d<\/p>\n

Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said there had been 16 confirmed cases of H5N1 across the state so far, including one in the Illawarra, confirmed on Thursday night. So far in NSW, only birds have been infected, unlike in South Australia, where there have been cases in mammals including seals and a red fox.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re also asking people with backyard chickens and with pet birds to now have plans in place to protect those birds and to stop any risk of spread,\u201d Moriarty said. \u201cIf you\u2019ve got backyard chooks, we\u2019re asking you to make sure that you keep their food clean and under shelter, keep their water clean and under shelter. Some people who are out in the regions might be using dam water for their backyard chooks. Please don\u2019t do that for the moment. Use clean water. It\u2019s about protecting them from the interaction with wild birds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"RegentRegent honeyeaters at Taronga Zoo.George Chan<\/p>\n

Bird flu has not been detected in commercial poultry flocks or captive birds anywhere in Australia, and the risk to human health remains low.<\/p>\n

Dr Joanne Coombe, the chief veterinary officer for NSW, said the vaccine was not licensed for mammals nor for poultry, only for rare and endangered species. There were ongoing conversations about vaccinating poultry, but it might be a different vaccine, she said.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Manly\u2019s<\/a><\/p>\n

If you encounter a suspected sick bird or marine mammal, avoid contact, record what you see and report it immediately to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.<\/p>\n

More than 5000 calls have been received by the hotline, which has been up and running since June at the State Coordination Centre in Orange.<\/p>\n

Birds vaccinated for H5N1 in the trial so farLittle penguinsWandering ducksWhistling ducksFreckled ducksBlack kiteWhistling kiteBlack-breasted buzzardBarn owlBarking owlRed-tailed black cockatooCarnaby\u2019s cockatooSulphur-crested cockatoosBush Stone curlewsBlue-billed ducksPlumbed whistling ducksCape barren geeseSuperb parrotsEmus<\/p>\n

Get to the heart of what\u2019s happening with climate change and the environment. Sign up for our fortnightly Environment newsletter.<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"CaitlinCaitlin Fitzsimmons<\/a> is the environment and climate reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. She was previously the social affairs reporter and the Money editor.Connect via email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"August 28, 2026 \u2014 11:55am Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":598226,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[85,46,141,386],"class_list":["post-598225","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-science","tag-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598225","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=598225"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598225\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/598226"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=598225"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=598225"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=598225"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}