Bird Flu: Access to Ernest Shackleton's grave 'blocked by dead seal' | Bird Flu Bird Flu

Explorer Ernest Shackleton's grave on South Georgia Island is closed to visitors due to 'dead seals blocking the way' as more animals are killed by bird flu in Antarctica.

Since the H5N1 virus arrived in the region, it has spread to 10 species of birds and mammals. last octoberfive king penguins and five gentoo penguins recently tested positive on subantarctic islands.. These confirmations follow the next report. mass death Elephant seal at the end of last year.

Horse racing journalist Astrid Saunders, who was on a cruise around South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula from January 15 to 30, witnessed the devastation as the ship was repeatedly blocked from entering port. “Every day they said they couldn't land here because there were too many dead animals,” Sanders said.

The only place the ship could berth was at Grytviken, home to Shackleton's grave, British post office and museum, but no one was allowed to disembark. “We weren't allowed to go to Ernest Shackleton's grave because there were so many seal carcasses blocking the road,” she said. “My impression from what I saw was that hundreds of seals were dead.”

Mr Saunders said it was difficult to calculate the death toll because it was difficult to distinguish between dead, sick and resting seals, but added: “There were so many carcasses on the beach. It looked like… there were a lot of seal pups without their mothers. They were trying desperately to escape.”

Shackleton suffered a heart attack while exploring Antarctica in 1922 and was buried on the island, and his grave is a pilgrimage site for enthusiasts. Saunders said one man on the cruise wanted to read a poem at Shackleton's grave, while another brought a special whiskey to toast the explorer.

“There certainly seemed to be a lot of dead seals in South Georgia, especially around Shackleton's grave,” said Colette Engstrom, a travel consultant who was also on the cruise. Although she had poor visibility, she said, “I was convinced that the reasons I couldn't go were:” [to the grave] All or many of the seals had died, and it was blamed on bird flu. ”

Mr Saunders said many people on the cruise did not know about bird flu and were not informed of its effects before the trip. “My dream was to walk among king penguins, but I couldn't do it,” Saunders said. “But no one wants to pollute the environment.”

A Silversea spokesperson said: “The South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands governments have temporarily restricted access to various locations as part of efforts to protect certain species of wildlife within their delicate ecosystems. Antarctica, Falklands Islands, South Georgia cruises will continue to sail as scheduled and either call at another location or add additional locations. zodiac cruising There are also opportunities for sea kayaking depending on the situation. The safety of our customers, crew and the destinations we visit, including wildlife, is our top priority. ”

Dr. Norman Ratcliffe, a seabird ecologist at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) who studies penguins and seabirds in South Georgia, said these observations of seal deaths are among those researchers have observed in the area. He said it is consistent with. “We are seeing widespread deaths along the north coast of South Georgia,” he said.

In South Georgia, H5N1 has been confirmed in elephant seals, fur seals, Antarctic terns, burrowing albatrosses, and kelp gulls. Antarctic Research Scientific Committee (scar).

In the Falkland Islands, 900 miles (1,500 km) west of South Georgia, gentoo penguins were confirmed dead in three separate locations. Infection has also been reported in other birds such as the southern fluke, variable hawk, skuas, and black-brown albatross.

H5N1 infections have caused mass die-offs of marine mammals before, although the Scar database does not provide data on the number of seals that have died in the region. Scientists hope that in 2023 The strain killed more than 17,000 southern elephant seal pups in Argentina, with mortality rates reaching 96% during some breeding seasons.

As the island's breeding season nears its end, experts hope the spread will be limited. “Macaroni penguins will continue to be vulnerable as they gather in large numbers to molt, but will then disperse to the ocean where they are less contagious,” Ratcliffe said. However, gentoo and king penguins may still be at risk because they each continue to co-roost and breed throughout the winter. ”

The researchers sounded the alarm earlier About “one of the greatest ecological disasters of our time” if avian influenza reached a population of penguins in far-flung Antarctica.

The current epidemic of infectious diseases is More infectious variants of H5N1 It is estimated that millions of wild birds have been killed since 2021. This strain, 2.3.4.4b, has decimated bird populations across the UK, continental Europe, South Africa, and the Americas.

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