Fears for elephant seals as bird flu kills half of population in South Atlantic

"Bird flu has wiped out half of South Georgia's breeding elephant seals, according to a study that warns of serious implications for the future of the species. The remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean is home to the world's largest southern elephant seal population. Researchers estimate 53,000 females died after bird flu hit in 2023. The population has now plummeted by 47%, researchers found. It was quite a stark number, said the lead author, Connor Bamford from the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge. I didn't anticipate it to be this high."

"In 2024, tourists on cruise ships said the explorer Ernest Shackleton's grave had become inaccessible to visitors due to dead seals blocking the way. But Bamford said it was likely that many dead animals were never seen, having returned to the sea when they were sick to cool down. It is possible that direct losses from bird flu have been exacerbated by females becoming physically stressed and abandoning their pups."

Bird flu wiped out half of South Georgia's breeding southern elephant seals. About 53,000 females died after bird flu hit in 2023, and the breeding population plummeted by 47%. South Georgia hosts the world's largest southern elephant seal population and about 54% of the global breeding population. Aerial imagery from three beaches compared counts from 2022 to 2024. Mortality was particularly high among pups. Many carcasses likely returned to the sea unseen as sick animals cooled down, and female stress may have led to pup abandonment. The losses will have a dramatic long-term impact because females take three to eight years to start breeding.

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