Dead whale calf on city beach to be tested for bird flu

A humpback whale calf stranded on the beach has died, and authorities are testing the carcass for a deadly strain of bird flu.

A member of the public spotted the male humpback calf at Cronulla beach in Sydney’s south and reported it to authorities early on Friday.

“Response teams were quickly deployed to assess the animal,” said Ashley Ryan, head of the Marine Mammal Rescue and Research Organization in Australia.

“Despite the rescue efforts of response teams, the calf unfortunately died shortly after response teams arrived.”

It is unknown why the newborn calf, approximately 4.5 meters long, was stranded.

“There are many reasons why whales become stranded, including disease, injury, separation from their mother, navigation difficulties or other natural factors,” Ms Ryan said.

The whale will be removed from the beach.

Samples were collected for H5N1 avian influenza testing as part of standard biosafety procedures.

As a precaution, the NSW Department of Primary Industries Fisheries and local lifeguards have been notified so that appropriate SharkSmart warnings can be implemented.

A total of 17 cases of fatal bird flu have been found across Australia.

All were wild seabirds found in coastal areas, and all but one were migratory species.

The latest cases were two presumed positive results in petrels.

One was found in Denmark, on the southern coast of Western Australia, and the other was found in Seabird, north of Perth.

Australia’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Beth Cookson, said: “There remains no evidence of mass mortality events and there are no detections in poultry or our agricultural production system.” he said.

The risk to human health remains low.