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<\/p>\nSouth Australian authorities say they have five new suspected cases of bird flu in the state, including a red fox in Osborne, in metropolitan Adelaide, as they warn pet owners to restrict the movement of their cats and dogs.<\/p>\n
SA’s Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) included the fox in its latest bird flu update that detailed five new suspected bird flu “events”.<\/p>\n
Samples have been sent to a national testing facility in Geelong for confirmation.<\/p>\n
Other affected species reported today included an Australian raven at Robe, a little penguin at Southend, a greater crested tern at Coonalpyn and a Pacific gull on Kangaroo Island.<\/p>\n
PIRSA said reporting was now based on events, which may involve one or more animals.<\/p>\n
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Greater crested terns in Australia have been infected with H5 bird flu. (ABC News: Carl Saville)<\/p>\n
According to PIRSA, the fox was found in dunes, retrieved by officials and euthanased. Positive cases have been confirmed among wild birds in the region since June.<\/p>\n
“It’s also not unexpected,” said South Australia’s Primary Industries Minister Clare Scriven.<\/p>\n
“We know foxes predate on birds and of course if a fox or any other animal is eating a bird that has bird flu, they are likely to contract the disease themselves.”<\/p>\n
More than 300 infection events have been recorded across the country since the first case was detected in June, with South Australia having the most at 195 confirmed events.<\/p>\n
H5N1 is an influenza virus and has been known to infect birds and mammals, including pets.<\/a> It has not been detected in Australian commercial poultry.<\/p>\n Ms Scriven said the government wanted South Australians to restrict the movements of their pets.<\/p>\n “For dogs \u2026 keep them on a lead and make sure they’re not interacting closely with dead or sick birds or wildlife,” she said. “In terms of cats, we want to encourage people to keep them inside.<\/p>\n “We always do that because we don’t want them to be attacking our birdlife and wildlife, but in this case it’s also to protect the cat.”Foxes act as a transmission ‘bridge’<\/p>\n The suspected case in a red fox marked the first time the disease has been detected in a primarily terrestrial animal, according to Michael Ward of the University of Sydney.<\/p>\n The veterinary public health expert said Australia’s red fox population was estimated at 1.7 million across 80 per cent of the continent.<\/p>\n When hundreds of animals die from bird flu, what happens next?<\/a><\/p>\n Despite their scale, we know surprisingly little about mass mortality events \u2014 from bird flu and other triggers \u2014 and their longer-term ecological consequences.<\/p>\n “That could spread the disease a long distance \u2026 away from that very coastal interface now inland to different species, like sheep,” he said.<\/p>\n “Foxes could contaminate an environment, and if the temperature’s right and there’s enough water found, the virus can persist.”<\/p>\n Professor Ward described the red fox as a “bridge species”.<\/p>\n “If a fox is scavenging off a carcass or \u2026 contaminates the pasture \u2026 that’s a transmission pathway,” he said.<\/p>\n “It’s almost a perfect way to spread the disease.”<\/p>\n Eyre Peninsula farmer Leonie Mills said she feared for the health of her livestock.<\/p>\n “We’ve got ewes about to lamb so it’s quite concerning to hear that it has gone cross species into the red fox,” Ms Mills said.<\/p>\n Heavy rainfall this year across South Australia, including on Ms Mills’ stud, has led to a particularly “good season,” with “plenty of feed around” for red foxes to infiltrate the property.<\/p>\n Vaccination for birds<\/p>\n Efforts to protect native birds held in captivity have begun at conservation sites around South Australia, with Cleland Wildlife Park to vaccinate around 30 species in its aviaries<\/a> with federally approved vaccines.<\/p>\n
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