UpbeatBy hand, one bird at a time: biologists vaccinate Tasmania's shy albatrosses
On remote Albatross Island, veterinarians and biologists are gently catching shy albatrosses and vaccinating them by hand against the H5N1 bird flu strain, which has only just reached Tasmania. The pilot aims to protect up to 100 birds with two doses each, then watch them with remote cameras and return visits. The species — about 15,000 breeding pairs across three Bass Strait islets — is considered vulnerable in Tasmania, and the team hopes the trial shows how to shield a whole population.
The upbeat factorpeople crossing to a remote island to vaccinate wild seabirds, one careful pair of hands at a time.
SDG 15 · Life on land — Mechanism: institutional program
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