53,000 Animals - Half Of Breeding Female Elephant Seals On South Georgia - Dead From Bird Flu Since 2023

Bird flu has wiped out half of South Georgia’s breeding elephant seals, according to a study that warns of “serious implications” for the future of the species. The remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean is home to the world’s largest southern elephant seal population. Researchers estimate 53,000 females died after bird flu hit in 2023.

The population has now plummeted by 47%, researchers found. “It was quite a stark number,” said the lead author, Connor Bamford from the British Antarctic Survey in Cambridge. “I didn’t anticipate it to be this high.”

In 2024, tourists on cruise ships said the explorer Ernest Shackleton’s grave had become inaccessible to visitors due to “dead seals blocking the way”. But Bamford said it was likely that many dead animals were never seen, having returned to the sea when they were sick to cool down.

It is possible that direct losses from bird flu have been exacerbated by females becoming physically stressed and abandoning their pups. “We were aware there was a high level of mortality – way above normal levels – but it wasn’t until we got this before-and-after comparison that we could see how extensive it was,” said Bamford. In the long term, he said, it would have a “dramatic impact on the population”.

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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/nov/13/bird-flu-h5n1-kills-half-elephant-seals-south-atlantic-south-georgia-antarctic-aoe