South Australian authorities reported a suspected second H5N1 bird flu case in a long-nosed fur seal on Monday, August 24, 2026, following the country’s first confirmed mammal case.
A second long-nosed fur seal is undergoing testing for the H5N1 avian influenza strain in South Australia, just one day after authorities confirmed the nation’s first detection of the virus in a mammal. The latest suspected animal was located at The Pages Conservation Park, a protected island reserve situated roughly 18 kilometers off the state’s south coast.
The Pages Conservation Park and Endangered Sea Lions
The newly implicated seal was discovered at The Pages — a protected reserve consisting of the North Page and South Page islands — which serves as a vital habitat for native fauna. According to the National Parks and Wildlife Service, the island group hosts one of three large colonies of endangered Australian sea lions in South Australia.
The state government reported that over 1,000 birds were found dead in suspected H5N1 mass mortality events across three islands, including The Pages, heightening fears for vulnerable marine mammal populations. South Australian Minister for Climate, Environment and Water Emily Bourke described the unfolding situation as incredibly concerning.
“We’ve seen devastation in seals around the world when it comes to bird flu.”
Emily Bourke, South Australian Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, via Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Bourke noted that the viral strain currently circulating in South Australia potentially arrived from Heard Island, a remote sub-Antarctic Australian territory. The Australian Antarctic Program documented in June that approximately 13,000 of the estimated 17,000 elephant seal pups on Heard Island died from the H5N1 outbreak.
Broader Wildlife Toll and Emergency Testing Protocols
The suspected seal case is part of a broader cluster of wildlife incidents. The South Australian Government reported five new suspected H5 bird flu events on Monday, August 24, 2026. Alongside the fur seal at The Pages, the new reports include a greater crested tern in metropolitan Adelaide, two greater crested tern incidents in the Coorong, and a white-fronted tern on the Limestone Coast.
These additions bring South Australia’s total number of suspect events to 27, while confirmed events remain stable at 194. State authorities have conducted 1,856 tests since January 1, 2026, and the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline has logged 6,811 reports since June 20.
Despite the expanding wildlife toll, federal and state officials emphasize that agriculture remains unaffected. Federal Environment Minister Murray Watt told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that the mammal cases, while serious, were not unexpected.
“We have been saying for some time we are likely to see mass mortalities of birds and mammals. I know that is a distressing thing for Australians to hear, but we need to be realistic.”
Murray Watt, Federal Environment Minister, via Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Birdlife Australia chief executive Kate Millar criticized current government action following the detection of the virus in a mammal.
“If a thousand dead birds detected last week in South Australia doesn’t jolt the government into taking meaningful action to support wildlife, how many will? More mass mortalities are on the way and we’re asking for the assurance that an appropriate level of funding for Wildlife Resilience is on its way too.”
Kate Millar, Chief Executive of Birdlife Australia, via 9News
The Invasive Species Council echoed these demands, warning that the H5N1 outbreak could be an extinction-level event for the species. Invasive Species Council chief executive Jack Gough stressed that intervention must happen immediately.
“We cannot stop H5 bird flu moving through wild populations, but we can give our wildlife a fighting chance by controlling feral predators, protecting critical habitat and breeding sites and taking pressure off threatened species. The time to build that resilience is now – not after we start counting wildlife deaths in the tens of thousands.”
Jack Gough, Chief Executive of the Invasive Species Council, via 9News
Meanwhile, South Australian authorities continue community engagement efforts, hosting public information forums such as those scheduled in Golden Grove/Wynn Vale and Port MacDonnell. Officials advise community members to avoid touching sick or dead wildlife, urging instead that citizens record observations and report them immediately to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline.
