Targeted aerial surveys of large stretches of Tasmania’s coastline have confirmed no evidence of mass mortalities of birds or other wildlife due to H5 bird flu.
H5 bird flu has been detected in a small number of seabirds in Western Australia, South Australia and New South Wales. H5 bird flu has not been detected in Tasmania. The Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania surveyed more than 980km of coastline along the West Coast, King Island, islands in the Furneaux Group as well as Tasmanian islands that are home to seal and seabird colonies. Drone and foot patrol surveillance has also been carried out in some areas. “This type of proactive surveillance gives us good early information as we continue to monitor for any evidence of the arrival of H5 bird flu in Tasmania,” Incident Controller
Alice Clayton said. “It doesn’t mean bird flu will never arrive but it gives us useful knowledge about important coastal areas and our islands.” Surveillance is ongoing, with teams operating across Tasmania collecting samples and monitoring for signs of bird flu.
Surveillance is ongoing, with teams operating across Tasmania collecting samples and monitoring for signs of bird flu. A map view of surveillance being undertaken can be found on LISTmap.
Early detection is key to minimising the impacts of bird flu so Tasmanians are asked to stay vigilant for signs of bird flu.
Signs of bird flu in live birds include:
breathing problems like coughing or sneezing
circling
tremors and incoordination
twisted neck
inability to stand or fly
swelling in the head, neck and eyes
change of colour or cloudiness in the eyes
Signs in live mammals include tremors and incoordination, seizures, breathing problems, and runny nose and drooling.
If you see sick or dead birds or other wildlife, do not touch them.
Avoid contact. Record what you see. Report it to the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.
When you make a report, NRE Tas assesses the information you provide. In some cases, we may collect a bird or other animal to test for H5 bird flu or other causes of death. Not all animals will be collected. Test results are generally not provided.
More information about bird flu is on our bird flu webpages.