SYDNEY, July 29, 2026 (BSS/AFP) - The first suspected case of deadly H5 bird flu local transmission prompted Australia to suspend beach tours at a popular island on Wednesday to protect wildlife.

Australia was for years the only continental landmass to be free of the H5 strain, which has caused severe disease and high death rates in poultry and wild birds worldwide.

The first Australian case was discovered in a migratory sea bird in June.

Four suspected cases of bird flu were reported Wednesday on Kangaroo Island, a popular tourism destination in South Australia state that is home to one of the largest populations of endangered sea lions.

South Australia's minister for primary industries, Clare Scriven, told reporters beach tours would be suspended on the island to protect sea lions.

Confirmation was expected later on Wednesday of 11 new cases of bird flu across South Australia, she said.

"It is extremely likely that we do have that localised distribution that has occurred with these birds," she said.

The national science laboratory this week confirmed seven cases in greater crested terns in South Australia, bringing the national total to 27 positive detections.

There has been concern the deadly disease could add to the extinction risks faced by Australian fauna, many of which are unique to the vast continent.
Almost half of Australia's wild bird species, and 83 percent of its mammals, are found nowhere else.