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Avian flu infects more marine mammal species along California coast
The avian flu outbreak is infecting more marine mammal species off the San Mateo County coast. Experts first spotted the disease among an elephant seal population last month. Now we know a southern sea otter and a California sea lion, both of which were dead, were infected.
SAN MATEO, Calif. - Following news this week of a southern sea otter's death from avian flu, experts are now saying the disease's outbreak has infected more species of marine mammals along the San Mateo County coast.
What we know:
The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito said H151, also known as avian flu or bird flu, was first confirmed in seven elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park, when they tested positive in February. On Thursday, experts confirmed an additional nine elephant seals are infected.
The state park's website advises that guided elephant seal tours have been canceled for the remainder of the season due to the disease. They said they will work with experts to determine when it's safe to reopen those closed areas.
"Just to assure everyone, there's still thousands of apparently healthy animals in the Año Nuevo elephant seal population, and we're only observing a small number of potentially impacted animals everyday, so important context there," said Patrick Robinson, the park's reserve director.
Southern sea otter found dead
The southern sea otter was found dead in that same park on Feb. 26, by UC Santa Cruz researchers, according to the Marine Mammal Center, who conferred with its partners at UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
The avian flu is considered highly pathogenic, meaning it is associated with high rates of death in infected populations.
The virus' presence in the sea otter was confirmed on March 5 after a postmortem was conducted by labs including the U.S. Department of Agriculture's lab.
"Researchers continue to monitor marine mammal populations to understand the full extent and impact of the disease outbreak," said Giancarlo Rulli, a spokesperson for the Marine Mammal Center.
There are concerns about the disease's impact. In 2023, an outbreak in Argentina demonstrated how quickly the disease can spread through vulnerable populations, the center's website warned.
The center works with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, UC Davis, UC Santa Cruz, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as well as the California Department of Public Health to monitor the situation as early detection and a rapid response are of utmost importance, they explained.
Dead California sea lion
Experts at UC Davis on Thursday confirmed a California sea lion was also infected. They said there are likely more animals who are infected, but that cases have so far been limited to San Mateo County.
Experts say people and pets should avoid all contact with stranded animals or birds and they advise calling NOAA to report any sightings of stranded or struggling marine animals.
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