"A petrel, flying east from the Indian Ocean at the end of the Austral winter, makes landfall at New Zealand's southern Codfish Island/Whenua Hou. Tired from its long journey, the petrel seeks refuge in the burrow of a green kakapo: a critically endangered flightless species that is the world's fattest parrot. If the seabird intrudes when the kakapo is primed to breed, the male parrot may attempt to mate with the smaller petrel, accidentally smothering it in the process."
"In August, the country's Department of Conservation announced the completion of a world-first research trial showing that some of its rarest birds could be successfully and safely vaccinated against bird flu. The effort is the latest in a global push to protect wildlife not just farmed poultry from the virus, which has also inflicted dramatic mass deaths among elephant seal, fur seal and seabird populations across the world."
A seabird carrying H5 avian influenza could inadvertently transmit the virus to vulnerable species such as the critically endangered kakapo, risking rapid extinction of small populations. H5N1 has caused tens of millions of wild-bird deaths worldwide and represents the largest sudden drop in global bird populations in decades. Oceania has largely kept the virus out so far, providing time for preventive measures. New Zealand completed a world-first research trial demonstrating that some of its rarest birds can be vaccinated successfully and safely against bird flu. Vaccination joins broader global efforts to protect wildlife beyond poultry and to prevent further mass mortalities among seals and seabirds.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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