Australia launches mass vaccination for 5,000 little penguins

Authorities in Victoria, Australia, are launching a major conservation effort to vaccinate over 5,000 little penguins against the highly contagious H5N1 avian influenza. Described by the state government as the largest wild bird vaccination program in the world, the initiative targets colonies at Phillip Island and St Kilda.

The vaccination process requires two doses per bird, necessitating that each penguin be located and captured twice. Experts noted that the little penguin's behavior makes this task more feasible, as they live in organized colonies and return to the same nesting sites every night.

The program follows the death of a little penguin on Phillip Island due to the virus. Beyond the avian flu, these populations face additional pressures from invasive predators, artificial lighting, overfishing, and climate change.