In a concerning development for Cape Towns coastline, cases of high pathogenicity avian influenza HPAI, commonly known as bird flu, have been confirmed in wild Hartlaubs Gulls and Great White Pelicans, reports Cape town Etc .
According to CapeNature , this marks the first detection of the H5N1 strain in wild birds in the Western Cape since April 2024, and the first mass mortalities reported since late 2022. Reports of sick and dead gulls began surfacing last month, with laboratory results confirming infections of the clade 2.3.4.4b H5N1 virus.
Bird flu poses a serious threat to seabirds, with South Africa having already recorded mass die-offs in recent years. More than 7 500 seabirds died in 2018 due to the H5N8 virus, while nearly 25 000 deaths were recorded in 2021 and 3033 from H5N1 - including over 1 000 Critically Endangered African Penguins in Namibia and South Africa.
