Experts warn H5N1 bird flu spread to the Northern Territory 'inevitable'

Authorities say it is only a matter of time before the latest strain of bird flu arrives in the Northern Territory, but conservationists and wildlife experts say vaccination of native species is not an option. Instead, the NT government is looking to enlist the support of the territory's network of birdwatchers and conservationists to help slow the disease's spread. What next? Chief Veterinary Officer Sue Fitzpatrick is calling on bird owners to protect their flocks and report any symptoms. Veterinary authorities say it is "inevitable" H5N1 bird flu will spread to the Northern Territory, almost two months after the first case of the disease was identified in Australia. The virus, first detected in Western Australia in late June, has now been found in all six states, leading to bird vaccination programs in some of them. Senior Director of Species Management at the NT Department of Lands, Planning and Environment Tony Griffiths said the disease's arrival in the territory was imminent. "It's definitely going to happen," he said. "It could be weeks, it could be months, but it's a national event, it's the biggest national disease event that has ever occurred in Australia for wildlife." For bird owners like Darwin local "Datto", who frequents Nightcliff Jetty with his galah Buddy, the threat of the flu has created a looming sense of anxiety. "It's going to take away a lot of privileges of me taking [Buddy] where the other birds are, and we're going to lose a lot of good birds over it," he said. Datto said an outbreak in Darwin's northern suburbs, where wild birds routinely flock along the coastline, would devastate locals who come to enjoy the wildlife. "We get all myriads of birds here — the firebirds, the honey eaters and everything else — and it'll be a shame to see all of them in a little pile of feathers on the side of the road," he said. The NT's Chief Veterinary Officer Sue Fitzpatrick said it was not just wild species that were at risk, urging backyard poultry farmers and other bird owners to be vigilant against the disease. "While we don't have a commercial poultry industry, we certainly have many backyard poultry owners," she said. "We're looking for bird keepers to protect their birds from wild birds, enclose their runs and put some roof over their runs, protect feed and water sources from wild birds." Birdwatchers essential to response Dr Griffiths said the plan to combat H5N1 in the NT would largely rely on wide-scale surveying of areas where birds are known to flock, such as the Top End coastline and Barkly Lakes. He said while experts had been rigorously sampling faeces and water supplies to identify contamination, vaccination of native species was not on the cards. "We have 450 species of bird in the territory and 37 of those are threatened, but we don't rely on captive breeding programs to support the management of those species," he said. "The threatened birds we have are dispersed over very large areas and it's very difficult to catch them to vaccinate." With a vast network of birdwatchers across the NT, Dr Griffiths said the government was looking to harness the power of the territory's avian enthusiasts to tackle the tyranny of distance. Biodiversity Watch NT's Graeme Sawyer said having boots on the ground would be essential to the mitigation effort. "The authorities' problem is always that they haven't got any staff in most places," he said. "By using bird-watching fraternities, Indigenous communities and ranger programs, you've got people right across the country, and a lot of them know a heck of a lot about their birds." Mr Sawyer said anyone with a passion for birds and wildlife conservation could help to slow the spread of the virus. "I would just urge anybody who's got a remote interest in birds to sharpen up their eyes and get their binoculars out," he said. "It is a big unknown and the more information we can get early, the better."