Earth.com A year after an unprecedented outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza swept through elephant seal breeding grounds on Península Valdés in Argentina, the beaches are quieter, and the normally bustling colonies have drastically diminished. The bird flu outbreak, which killed over 17,000 elephant seals, including almost 97% of the pups, has left a scar on this vulnerable population, with only about a third of the seals typically expected here returning.
“It’s beautiful to walk the beaches now and hear elephant seals again,” said Marcela Uhart, director of the Latin America Program at the UC Davis Karen C. Drayer Wildlife Health Center.