Australia to hand-vaccinate 5,000 wild penguins against bird flu spreading across wildlife; the birds’ nightly routine will make the daunting task possible | World News
Australia is launching a necessary effort to protect one of its most recognisable coastal birds from H5N1 bird flu. Wildlife teams are hand-vaccinating thousands of wild little penguins. On Phillip Island, Victoria, authorities hope to protect a colony of about 5,000 birds by catching them as they return to their burrows after feeding at sea. The operation comes as concern grows over the virus spreading beyond birds. SBS News reported that a second seal in South Australia was suspected of having bird flu, just a day after the country confirmed its first mammal case. The vaccination campaign is being carried out at night and is designed around the penguins’ remarkably predictable routine. For the tiny birds, that familiar evening journey could now offer the best chance of avoiding a potentially devastating outbreak during the dangerous season ahead.
Ambitious target to hand-vaccinate 5,000 penguins
The answer lies in the little penguins’ daily routine. Unlike many wild animals, little penguins return to their burrows at roughly the same time each evening. After spending the day at sea hunting for food, they come ashore around sunset and follow familiar routes back towards their colonies. That predictable behaviour makes it possible for wildlife workers to intercept them. SBS News reported that teams have been working late into the night to improve the process. They initially worked along quieter penguin pathways to learn how to handle the birds efficiently before moving to the western end of the penguin parade, where larger numbers return. By the weekend, another 600 penguins had been vaccinated, bringing the number that had received a first dose at Phillip Island and St Kilda to about 1,000.The birds are caught as they return from their daily trips to sea. They are then vaccinated, microchipped and released back towards their burrows. The entire operation is carried out at night, when the penguins naturally gather. It is an extraordinary amount of work for such small animals. Yet their habits make the task considerably more practical than trying to vaccinate other free-ranging species.
Wildlife workers working at night to vaccinate penguins on Phillip Island. Image Credit: Joel Carrett/AAP
Why are Australian authorities vaccinating wild penguins
The little penguin population on Phillip Island is facing a serious new threat from H5N1, a highly contagious form of bird flu. The island is home to around 40,000 little penguins, while the specific vaccination effort is focused on about 5,000 birds. As per ‘A-Z Animals,’ Victoria’s programme is intended to become the world’s largest vaccination campaign targeting wild birds. Each penguin needs two separate doses, meaning the same birds have to be caught twice. Officials also plan to microchip the birds so they can identify which penguins have received their injections.The need for action has become more urgent after H5N1 was detected among little penguins. A-Z Animals reported that one penguin on Phillip Island had already died from the virus shortly before the vaccination programme began. The danger is not limited to the birds. SBS News notes that five suspected H5 bird flu cases were recorded in South Australia on 24 August, including a long-nosed fur seal at The Pages Conservation Park. The animal was being tested, with results expected in the following days. That came just one day after Australia confirmed its first mammal case of a long-nosed fur seal at Beachport, about 300 kilometres south of Adelaide. Authorities believed that the seal had contracted the virus from wild birds.
Little penguins are perfect for this unique operation
Wildlife vaccination is extremely difficult because animals move freely and can be hard to locate repeatedly. Little penguins offer several advantages. According to A-Z Animals, penguins live in colonies, return to the same burrows each evening and cannot fly away. Their predictable movements mean workers have a realistic opportunity to catch the same birds more than once. Phillip Island’s famous penguin parade also means the birds are accustomed to people being nearby. Hundreds of thousands of visitors come to the island each year to watch the penguins make their evening return. Their familiarity with humans can make it easier for wildlife teams to work quickly while causing less disruption. For the conservation teams, that behaviour could make the difference between a vaccination programme that sounds impossible and one that can actually be carried out.
Little penguins returning to their burrows on Phillip Island. Image Credit: Wikipedia
How serious could an H5N1 outbreak become
The potential consequences are significant because Phillip Island supports the world’s largest little penguin colony. Australian government modelling from May 2025 estimated that a worst-case H5N1 outbreak could kill between 8,000 and 16,000 little penguins on Phillip Island alone. The modelling also suggested that if vaccination began only after the virus was already spreading through a colony, it could be too late to prevent major deaths. That means the current campaign is not being treated as a guaranteed solution. Instead, vaccination is being used as one way to reduce the potential impact of the virus. The programme also matters beyond wildlife conservation. The nightly penguin parade is a major attraction on Phillip Island, drawing visitors who come specifically to see the birds return to their burrows. One local tour operator said that around 40% of his business came from penguin tourism. Protecting the penguins therefore also helps protect an important part of the island’s tourism economy.
Possibility of bird flu spreading among Australian wildlife
The suspected second seal case has added another layer of concern. According to SBS News, Environment Minister Murray Watt warned that transmission from birds to mammals was likely to occur and that Australia could eventually experience the large-scale deaths of birds and mammals seen overseas. Agriculture Minister Julie Collins also said that the federal government is investigating whether vaccines could be used for mammals. Trials using a cattle vaccine were underway in North America, although no suitable vaccine is commercially available yet for Australian mammals. Meanwhile, the penguin programme could become a model for protecting other vulnerable species. A-Z Animals reported that Victoria was already considering whether other at-risk birds in captivity could be included in future vaccination efforts. For now, the focus remains on the little penguins returning home each evening. Wildlife workers are turning that simple routine into an ambitious defence against one of the most serious wildlife diseases Australia has faced.
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