Why death of a King penguin is not good news for the world?

A king penguin in the sub-Antarctica region has reportedly died, suspected to be due to the bird flu virus (avian influenza). This is the first known case of a king penguin falling victim to bird flu.

Scientists had recently confirmed that an elephant and a fur seal in the British Overseas Territory (BOT) of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands near Antarctica also died due to bird flu. Following these incidents, three more penguin deaths have been reported from the same area, raising concerns among scientists.

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) has reported the death of a king penguin on South Georgia Island. A gentoo penguin from the same location is also suspected to have died from the H5N1 strain of avian influenza. Another gentoo penguin on Sea Lion Island in the Falklands, near South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, has been confirmed to have died from bird flu. The death of the gentoo penguin in Falkland was reported on January 19, while the king penguin’s death in South Georgia was reported on January 10.

The Falkland Islands government that under similar circumstances, many more gentoos were dying. "As of Jan. 30, over 200 chicks along with a handful of adults are dead," government spokesperson Sally Heathman informed.

SCAR reports that over 20 baby penguins have either died or are showing signs of illness. Bird flu, a highly contagious viral disease, has affected birds and mammals worldwide. Since 2021, its HPAI strain called H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b has become dominant globally, leading to the death of millions of birds in the United Kingdom, South America, Europe, and South Africa.

Bird flu devastates polar regions

In October 2023, bird flu spread to the sub-Antarctic region from South America via sea birds, infecting a variety of creatures including elephant and fur seals, brown skuas, and kelp gulls. This led to a large number of deaths among these species.

The global impact of this disease is evident from the fact that it has caused the death of at least 20,000 sea lions in Chile and Peru, and over 500,000 sea birds, including penguins and pelicans.

In December 2023, the Arctic reported its first case of a polar bear dying from bird flu. This has raised concerns among scientists about the potential spread of the disease to remote penguin colonies in Antarctica.

Norman Ratcliffe, a seabird expert at the British Antarctic Survey, stated in The Guardian that about 98% of the world’s fur seals are found in South Georgia. This area is crucial for elephant and fur seal populations, which are now under serious threat of declining.

Researchers have warned that the virus could spread quickly through densely populated penguin colonies in the spring, potentially leading to one of the biggest ecological disasters of modern times.

As per the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR), there have been no suspected or confirmed cases of infection reported on the mainland of Antarctica so far.

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