The Wildlife Society A colony of southern elephant seals lost nearly all its newborn pups in 2023 to the virus
Avian flu has devastated a colony of southern elephant seals in Argentina—so much that it may take a century for the marine mammals to recover. High Pathogenic Avian Influenza ripped through the southern elephant seal (Mirounga leonina) colony on the Valdés Peninsula in Argentina in 2023, killing almost all newborn pups and many adults. In a study published recently in Marine Mammal Science, researchers predicted how long it would take the population to recover. Estimates revealed it may take a century before numbers return to 2022 levels. “Avian influenza has starkly demonstrated the devastating impact that infectious diseases can have on wildlife populations,” said Marcela Uhart, director of the Latin America program at the University of California, Davis, and co-author of the study, in a press release. “These effects are likely to intensify under current and projected climate change conditions. It is imperative that we significantly strengthen our upstream prevention efforts to mitigate future risks.”