Hey there, amigos! 🌎 Brace yourselves for some chilly news from the bottom of the world. Scientists in Antarctica are sounding the alarm 🚨 after the lethal H5N1 avian flu virus was confirmed on the icy continent last month. And guess who's caught in the middle of this? Our beloved penguins! 🐧💔
The virus, which has already wreaked havoc on bird populations worldwide and hit South American wild bird and marine mammal populations hard, has now been detected among local penguin and cormorant populations in Antarctica. This could spell trouble for the continent's huge penguin colonies.
\"We are talking about a very worrying risk,\" said researcher Fabiola León from the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile. She was part of an expedition in late 2023 and early 2024 (yeah, they're in the future 🌌) to monitor bird flu in Antarctica.
\"There are species in danger of extinction, such as emperor penguins and other birds,\" she added. 😢
The Chilean Antarctic Institute (INACH), which organized the expedition, announced this week that it had detected new positive bird flu cases in the region—a landmark find because it included cases in penguins.
So far, positive cases have been found in nine Adélie penguins and one Antarctic cormorant. The virus was first detected in skua seabirds on the Antarctic mainland last month.
\"This detection of highly pathogenic influenza H5N1 is for the first time reported for Antarctic penguins and cormorants,\" León said. She warned that the crowded nature of penguin colonies and their migratory movements could speed up the spread of the virus. 🏃♂️💨
\"This may promote, increase the rate of transmission of the disease among various bird colonies,\" she explained.
So what's next? Scientists are keeping a close eye on the situation, hoping to prevent a real-life 'March of the Penguins' sequel with a not-so-happy ending. 🥺
Stay tuned, and let's hope our tuxedo-wearing friends stay safe! 🐧❤️
Reference(s):
Antarctic scientists warn of bird flu spread amid penguin cases
cgtn.com
