A deadly strain of bird flu sweeping through remote islands near Antarctica has devastated the native wildlife population, killing an estimated 13,000 seal pups, as well as penguins and seabirds, researchers say.
Drone surveys conducted by the Australian Antarctic Program in October and January revealed “sobering” images of seal pup carcasses littering the grayish volcanic shores of Heard and McDonald Islands, Jarrod Hodgson, a senior research scientist at the organization said.
The islands, which sit about 2,485 miles (4,000 kilometers) southwest of mainland Australia have long been an isolated sanctuary for breeding birds and marine mammals.