Mass mortality of southern elephant seals during multi-species outbreak of HPAI H5N1 on sub-Antarctic Heard Island
Julie C. McInnes, Tristan L. Burgess, Georgia Mergard, Melanie R. Wells, Clive R. McMahon, Matthew J. Neave, Andrea Maree Polanowski, Aleks Terauds, J Tornos, Mathilde Lejeune, François‐Xavier Briand, Guy Baele, Thierry Boulinier, Helen Achurch, Rachael L. Alderman, , Jarrod C. Hodgson
The paper reports a multi-species outbreak of HPAI H5N1 on Heard Island, causing mass mortality in southern elephant seals and other seabirds, with drones used for monitoring.
bioRxiv · Jun 17, 2026 · PreprintEcology