Queensland Former Chief Scientist Calls for Bird Watchers to Help Monitor for H5N1

Queensland's former chief scientist has urged the state government to recruit the bird-watching community to monitor for the H5N1 virus, Abc reported. The strain has killed millions of birds worldwide since 2021, with five cases now confirmed on Australia's southern coast.

Hugh Possingham, who served as Queensland's chief scientist from September 2020 to August 2022, said the state holds 15 per cent more bird species than any other Australian jurisdiction.

He noted that many unique species are bush birds such as parrots, fairy-wrens and robins, while seabird colonies on Great Barrier Reef islands face more predictable risks based on die-offs recorded in Africa, Europe and South America. "Bird watchers and bird watching is booming. There's hundreds of thousands them in Australia," Possingham said.

He also recommended increased fox culling to reduce existing pressures on bird populations. University of Queensland virologist Kirsty Short said any volunteer program would require proper training and must avoid exposing participants to infection. Humans can contract bird flu, though most cases are not serious.

The Queensland Department of Primary Industries told Abc that state biosecurity officers are already working with wildlife carers, veterinarians and community groups to increase surveillance. The department said the government is closely monitoring the situation in southern Australia and has measures ready to respond if the virus reaches Queensland.

Four of the five confirmed cases are in Western Australia.

Inghams, a major chicken producer, has moved all its animals indoors there. Queensland's poultry sector, which produces mainly chicken meat and eggs, is valued at a billion dollars. The H5N1 strain was first detected in Asia in the late 1990s, when authorities in Hong Kong killed 1.5 million chickens in three days.