The problem of bird flu jumping from birds to marine mammals, such as seals, is worse than initially thought, scientists say.
Harbor seals keep watch from a small island off Portland, Maine, in this July 30, 2020 file photo.
Seals and sea lions, in places as far apart as Maine and Chile, appear to be especially vulnerable to the disease, scientists said. The virus has been detected in seals on the east and west coasts of the U.S., leading to deaths of more than 300 seals in New England and a handful more in Puget Sound in Washington.
Dead elephant seals line the beach at Punta Delgada, Chubut, Argentina, on Oct. 10, 2023. Bird flu has killed tens of thousands of seals and sea lions around the world and scientists aren't sure how to stop it. In New England, scientists with the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University found an outbreak of bird flu that killed more than 330 harbor and gray seals along the North Atlantic coast in 2022 turned out to be worse than initially thought. It’s possible the seals contracted the virus from gulls by coming into contact with sick gulls’ excrement or by preying on an infected bird,
Some scientists and environmental advocates say there could be a link between the outbreaks and climate change and warming oceans. Warmer sea temperatures off northern Chile decrease the population of forage fish, and that makes sea lions weaker and more susceptible to disease, said Liesbeth van der Meer, director of the environmental group Oceana in Chile.
Even seals in aquariums are not considered completely safe from bird flu. The New England Aquarium, where outdoor harbor seal exhibits delight thousands of visitors every year, has taken strict sanitation precautions to prevent transmission of the virus to its animals, said Melissa Joblon, the Boston aquarium’s director of animal health.
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