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The panel at Berninneit: from left, Catherine Basterfield, CEO of Phillip Island Nature Parks,
Eve Graham, Victorian director of wildlife and landscape protection, and Julie Simons, Victorian
director of biosecurity, emergency management and strategy.
By Catherine Watson
A SOMBRE gathering in Berninneit on Friday night to hear Victoria’s experts explain what lies ahead now that bird flu has reached Australia.
Eve Graham, Victorian director of wildlife and landscape protection for DEECA, and Julie Simons, Victorian director of biosecurity, emergency management and strategy, presented the facts and took questions from a local audience of around 100 people.
The big takeaway from Friday night’s session is that we cannot stop the spread of bird flu through wild bird populations and we cannot save sick birds.
For wildlife carers and lovers – most of us – it will be heart breaking to watch but this is nature at work and humans are bystanders.
A SOMBRE gathering in Berninneit on Friday night to hear Victoria’s experts explain what lies ahead now that bird flu has reached Australia.
Eve Graham, Victorian director of wildlife and landscape protection for DEECA, and Julie Simons, Victorian director of biosecurity, emergency management and strategy, presented the facts and took questions from a local audience of around 100 people.
The big takeaway from Friday night’s session is that we cannot stop the spread of bird flu through wild bird populations and we cannot save sick birds.
For wildlife carers and lovers – most of us – it will be heart breaking to watch but this is nature at work and humans are bystanders.
The virus has been circulating around the globe since 2020. Australia is the last continent to be infected so we’ve at least had time to learn from others.
The disease will run its course, causing mass mortality events in some species. Others will barely be affected. Many birds and seals will die but some sick animals will recover and that is the beginning of species immunity. But the virus will continue to mutate.
Agriculture Victoria H5N1 Bird Flu
The latest information – avoid mixed messages and conspiracy theories!
Report sick or dead wildlife online
The latest information – avoid mixed messages and conspiracy theories!
Report sick or dead wildlife online
The authorities don’t want us to dispose of dead birds or treat sick ones – nothing we do will make a difference. Our role is to Avoid, Record and Report to the hotline so authorities can keep a check on the spread.
The national position is to leave dead birds to decompose naturally where possible, minimising stress to surviving sick birds. Some individuals will recover if left undisturbed.
In urban or tourist areas, land managers (DEECA, Phillip Island Nature Parks, Parks Victoria, Bass Coast Shire Council) will remove carcasses using standard waste collection.
The national position is to leave dead birds to decompose naturally where possible, minimising stress to surviving sick birds. Some individuals will recover if left undisturbed.
In urban or tourist areas, land managers (DEECA, Phillip Island Nature Parks, Parks Victoria, Bass Coast Shire Council) will remove carcasses using standard waste collection.
Detection status
Key species of concern
Human health risk
Community Guidance
Wildlife Surveillance
Poultry Sector Risk
Transmission Pathways
Long-Term Outlook
- The virus has been confirmed on Phillip Island, Mornington Peninsula and the South Gippsland Coast.
- By this weekend, no detections had been recorded in poultry anywhere in Australia.
- No detections have been recorded in domestic pets of any kind.
Key species of concern
- Little Penguins: A vaccination trial demonstrated strong immune response with no adverse effects. A world-first vaccination of 5000 fairy penguins is underway at Phillip Island and St Kilda.
- Shearwaters: Closing Cape Woolamai to visitors was considered but deemed unlikely to change outcomes.
- Cape Barren Geese: Expected to be impacted, as the Anatidae family is known to be more susceptible internationally. However, the population on Phillip Island is considered healthy and robust, and recovery is anticipated given their strong breeding capacity.
- Hooded Plovers: A species of concern, but no viable tools exist to collect and safely house them in captivity at this time. Monitoring will rely heavily on the existing community volunteer network.
- Marsupials: The risk to marsupials is assessed as low, based on international observations, though the situation is being closely monitored given this is Australia's first encounter with this strain.
- Marine animals: The risk to marine mammals (seals, sea lions) is a noted concern, as seals may consume infected bird carcasses in inaccessible areas. No vaccine currently exists for mammals.
Human health risk
- The risk to the general public is low. Avian influenza does not bind easily to human receptors, making person-to-person transmission unlikely.
- Higher-risk groups include wildlife carers and rehabilitators, park rangers and those with occupational contact with birds, anyone with close or prolonged contact with sick or dead birds.
Community Guidance
- “Avoid, Record, Report” is the national approach and the primary ask of the community.
- Parks and public spaces will remain open.
- Dogs may continue to go to beaches, but should be kept on a lead to prevent contact with dead birds.
- Community activities such as San Remo’s pelican feeding can continue. The approach is risk management and balance, not elimination of normal activities.
Wildlife Surveillance
- A Firebird 300 helicopter with high-resolution cameras is scanning coastlines and inland Victoria every two to three weeks.
- Up to 300 calls a day are being received on the Emergency Animal Disease hotline.
- A publicly accessible map on the Agriculture Victoria website displays all reports, filterable by area, timeframe, and species.
Poultry Sector Risk
- Poultry outbreaks are considered likely; however, containment and eradication on individual farms is feasible due to the controlled environment.
- A mandatory poultry housing order is in place for all coastal shires, requiring operators with 50 or more birds to actively confine their poultry. The order is in effect until 18 September.
Transmission Pathways
- The virus spreads via multiple routes, including airborne/aerosol transmission, direct contact with feathers, droppings, and carcasses.
- Virus survival time in the environment varies from 7 days to several months, depending on temperature and climatic conditions.
- Treated drinking water (eg. from Westernport Water) poses no risk to human health.
- Seawater quality is not considered a transmission vector. The virus breaks down readily and does not accumulate.
Long-Term Outlook
- International experience shows the virus is not eradicable from wildlife populations.
- Peaks and troughs are expected. Some seasonality exists, linked to migratory patterns and breeding seasons, but the risk is considered year-round.
- Wildlife populations overseas have recovered, aided by removal of secondary predators and stressors.
That is an excellent summary of the meeting and the situation as presented. Unfortunately the antivax trolling has already started. There was a good explanation of the reason for delaying vaccination of the Little Penguins until a trial indicated it was appropriate.