H5N1 avian flu is moving through Australian bird populations amid mass animal deaths recorded across affected areas. A little penguin on King Island has contracted the contagion. Suspected cases of the infection have been detected at a South Australian tourist site.
Mass vaccination of little penguins has commenced in response to the spread. Authorities are investigating what happens next when hundreds of animals perish from bird flu during an unfolding crisis. Teams are striving to control the spread and protect native bird species.