Breaking: Bird flu suspected to have spread to seal at key breeding ground

Bird flu suspected to have spread to seal at key breeding ground off Kangaroo Island A suspected case of H5 bird flu has been detected in a seal at a key breeding ground, a day after Australia's first case of the virus in a mammal was revealed. The suspected case in a long-nosed fur seal, which is yet to be confirmed, occurred at The Pages Conservation Park, South Australia's Department of Primary Industries and Regions (PIRSA) said. The Pages — two small islands off the Kangaroo Island coast — are the site of a mass mortality event in birds, presumed to have died from the H5 strain, which was detected last week. The islands are an important breeding site for the endangered Australian sea lion, which the Invasive Species Council warns could face an "extinction level" event if the disease enters its colonies. The suspected detection follows Australia's first confirmed case of the H5 bird flu in a mammal — a seal found dead at Beachport in SA's South East last week. "The samples from new suspect events have been sent to ACDP [the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness] for confirmatory testing, with results expected to be known in the coming days," PIRSA said. There have been five new suspected detections in the state. Speaking to ABC News Breakfast about yesterday's confirmed case in a seal, Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt said it was "obviously a very serious development" but "not unexpected". "We've been saying for some time we're likely to see mass mortalities of birds and mammals," he said. "I know it's a distressing thing for Australians to hear but we need to be realistic. "We are likely to see more mass mortalities." Loading