Surfer Witnesses First H5N1 Avian Influenza Case in South Australia
A surfer who spotted the first bird in South Australia to test positive for H5N1 avian influenza has shared his experience of witnessing a southern giant petrel that appeared fatigued and distressed before being taken by wildlife rescuers.
Ben Wood, a local surfer, told 891 ABC Adelaide that the migratory bird landed where the waves were breaking during a bodyboarding competition at Knights Beach on the Fleurieu Peninsula on June 14. “It got hit by a couple of waves and was washed up to the beach,” Mr Wood said.
Mr Wood explained that the bird was retrieved by a local wildlife rescue group, which later confirmed that the animal had tested positive for H5N1 on June 24. He described the bird as looking very tired and disoriented, a condition that raised concerns among the rescuers.
Another bodyboarder, Aaron Brand, shared his encounter with the sick bird during the same event. He told radio station FiveAA that he touched the bird while trying to encourage it to fly out of the surf break zone. “Mid-heat the bird just flew in between us and just sat there with us and next minute started getting a bit pushed into where the waves were breaking,” Mr Brand said.
He continued, “I paddled over to see if it would fly away and kind of touched it. It tried to have a bite of me and I was like, ‘Oh I’m not going to touch that now.’ It just got pummelled by waves and pushed into shore. Another surfer picked it up and put it on the beach and the wildlife people came and collected it and we thought nothing of it.”
Mr Wood mentioned that two weeks earlier, he had also retrieved another fatigued petrel that landed at Knights Beach while he was surfing. “I did make direct contact with the initial one, but I did not touch the one on the competition day,” he said. Both birds were described as very fatigued and disoriented, which is unusual for them to land in such a violent wave environment after flying long distances.
Risk to Humans
Since three H5 cases were confirmed in Australia, several veterinary clinics in South Australia have posted on social media that they will not accept sick wild birds. Others have advised people to call ahead before bringing any sick animals in.
SA Chief Public Health Officer Professor Nicola Spurrier addressed the risk to humans, stating that while it is possible for humans to catch bird flu, the risk to the general population is low. “But you have to have really close contact with an infected bird and by that I mean you have to be touching the bird and having some of the secretions from the bird enter our mucus membranes,” she said.
Professor Spurrier added that walking past a dead bird or even encountering a sick bird would not result in infection. “Walking past a dead bird, you are not going to catch bird flu or even if the bird is a bit sick and just walking past you are not going to catch it.”
She noted that avian influenza symptoms are similar to those of regular flu, including a sore throat, runny nose, high fever, and aching muscles. However, human-to-human transmission of the disease is very rare. “That’s why we’re not concerned about this as the next pandemic or anything like this,” she said. “The population level risk is very low, it’s just in terms of transmission if you happen to be in close contact with a sick or dead bird.”
Professor Spurrier urged anyone who might have touched a sick bird to seek health advice from their GP. She emphasized that while the situation requires vigilance, the overall risk remains minimal for the general public.
