Conservationists call for national response plan for possible arrival of HPAI H5, which so far has affected 300 species worldwide
Conservationists have warned Australia is poorly prepared for the potential arrival of a deadly form of avian influenza that has killed millions of birds and thousands of mammals overseas.
When HPAI H5 (high pathogenicity avian influenza of subtype H5) arrived in South America late last year it killed more than 60,000 seabirds and 3,500 sea lions within weeks in Peru alone.
It has spread to every continent except Australia and Antarctica, and has so far affected 300 species of wild birds and caused hundreds of mass mortality events.
The Invasive Species Council (ISC) has written to the agriculture minister, Murray Watt, and the environment minister, Tanya Plibersek, to urge them to develop a national response plan for avian influenza in wildlife.
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