Video footage of the bird suspected of bringing the H5 bird flu to Australia has emerged after the State Government revealed it was waiting on further testing to confirm it carried the deadly strain.
Esperance Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary posted a short clip of the Subantarctic Skua to its Facebook page on Sunday after it was rescued from drowning in the surf at Cape LeGrand Beach.
WATCH THE FOOTAGE IN THE VIDEO PLAYER ABOVE
The bird can be seen on a brown towel inside the wildlife clinic.
Clinic director Lori-Ann Shibish said the bird was displaying clear signs of Avian Influenza when it was brought to them.
“On Sunday, a seabird was spotted struggling in the surf and a member of the public brought it to the Esperance Wildlife Hospital and Sanctuary,” she said.
“We treat all birds coming into care as if they are potential carriers so we immediately enacted the protocols around isolating and quarantine and hygiene.”
Ms Shibish said they were immediately concerned by the situation.
“You should never be able to catch a seabird and the fact that this one was found rolling around in the surf and the member of public was able to catch it was an indication that the bird wasn’t well,” she said.
“A healthy seabird will never be able to be caught.”
The team confirmed they followed all protocols.
“We ensured that (the member of the public) did follow all the safety hygiene protocols, that they disinfected while they were at the hospital, that they disinfected all of their clothes and anything that came into contact with the bird during the time they had it,” she said.
“The bird was immediately put into a quarantine Humidicrib and we could tell that the bird was in a pretty bad way.
“So our protocol is to immediately call the emergency hotline for disease and report the incident and they were able to call us back almost immediately with a vet who talked us through the situation and they arranged to have a test done on the bird to see if it was a carrier of avian influenza.”
Ms Shibish said this discovery should be taken very seriously by the nation.
“I think it’s concerning for all of Australia to have a positive identification of a bird that has landed on our shore here because that particular strain of bird flu is a very serious one and has the ability to spread,” she said.
“It is a very serious matter.”
The bird was looked after by wildlife carer Toni until is passed away days later.
“A very long way from home. A Subantartic Skua was rescued by Toni from drowning in the surf at Cape LeGrand beach. Thanks Toni 🥰,” the Facebook post read.
The bird sparked a national emergency meeting as it could be Australia’s first suspected case of H5 bird flu.
The strain has already wiped out millions of wild birds and marine mammals globally.
Australia’s Agriculture Minister Julie Collins said further testing is expected to be completed “overnight or early” Saturday to confirm if it is the H5 strain.
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