‘Twinnies’ Bridgette and Paula Powers raise alarm over suspected bird flu case on Sunshine Coast
Queensland may have recorded its first case of H5N1 bird flu after a sick seabird was taken into care on the Sunshine Coast, with confirmatory test results expected later this week.
The warning comes from the twin brothers behind Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue, who say they won’t leave anything to chance as long as the bird remains in quarantine.
A northern giant petrel from Noosa was brought to the Twinnies rescue facility; where specialist veterinarians tested the bird before samples were sent to CSIRO’s Australian Center for Disease Preparedness for analysis.
Identical twins Bridgette and Paula Powers, whose rescue work and on-camera double act garnered worldwide attention last year, told 7News that the seabird survived its first night in care but remains a cause for concern.
They said, “We have to take precautions because these poor beautiful birds are also affected in other states. Hopefully, this one will turn out negative like the other one in our care.”
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The bird was placed in an isolation area where keepers wore full protective equipment during inspection to prevent any risk to other animals at the facility.
“We go in twice a day, but we’re dressed, we have masks; we’re fully covered and we have a foot bath and we wear rubber boots in that area,” the Powers brothers told 7News.
“We do not endanger other birds in care.”
Officials were awaiting test results expected later this week. If confirmed, the Noosa bird would be the northernmost detection of the species in Australia.
H5N1 has already been detected in Western Australia, NSW and South Australia.
In SA, this is the first time the deadly strain has been confirmed in a native seabird, after previous detections were limited to migratory birds.
The federal Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry said there was “no evidence of H5 bird flu in poultry or livestock in Australia” and that “the risk to the public is low”.
Authorities also urged people not to handle sick or dead birds or other wildlife and to report concerns to the Emergency Animal Disease Helpline on 1800 675 888.
