Arabic version: تزايد المخاوف على سامي فقمة الفيل في بورتلاند

According to The Guardian, concern is growing for Sammy, a male southern elephant seal that has become a familiar presence in Portland, Victoria, as H5N1 bird flu affects the area. Sammy frequents the foreshore and port and has sometimes visited community gardens. He has recently been seen near birds presumed to have died from the virus.

Victoria’s first bird flu case was detected in Portland at the end of July. The federal agriculture department has recorded 17 confirmed events involving crested terns, magpies, silver gulls and ravens, while further suspected cases have been reported. Local resident Lynn Murrell said the situation had been “pretty grim”, with dead and suffering birds on the beach.

Worry increased after a fur seal at Beachport, South Australia, was confirmed as infected on Sunday. Beachport is about a two-hour trip from Portland. More than 100 marine mammals have been reported to the emergency animal disease hotline in Victoria this month, although none had been confirmed positive at the time of the report.

Macquarie University’s Prof Rob Harcourt said elephant seals are highly social and often share spaces with wild birds, factors that can increase their exposure to H5 bird flu. Southern elephant seals are listed as vulnerable under federal environment laws and assessed as being at very high risk. The strain killed more than 13,000 pups on Heard Island in 2025 and 2026.

Volunteer wildlife carers from western Victoria travelled to Portland last weekend to humanely euthanise sick birds. Glenelg shire council said state advice was to leave dead birds in place, though it had started removing some carcasses where unacceptable public amenity or safety risks were identified.