Dozens of Penguins found dead at the Port of Grassy

State authorities are ramping up monitoring and surveillance on King Island following the discovery of 28 dead penguins and three dead crested terns at the Port of Grassy.

Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (NRE Tas) Incident Controller Wes Ford announced that additional personnel have been deployed to King Island to bolster collection, monitoring, and surveillance activities.

"Our on-ground surveillance efforts, together with reports from the community, continue to help us identify and investigate sick and dead wild birds," Mr Ford said.

"Unfortunately, our surveillance team found 28 dead penguins and three dead crested terns at the Port of Grassy on King Island yesterday. Tasmanians care deeply about our wildlife, and particularly our penguins, so we understand that reports like these may be distressing for the community."

Mr Ford noted that samples have already been collected and sent for laboratory testing, with results anticipated later in the week. NRE Tas staff planned to collect the carcasses today to mitigate further transmission risks.

Despite the concerning find, Tasmania's official tally of confirmed positive H5 bird flu detections remains steady at 11.

Authorities have underscored that there is no evidence of a mass mortality event in Tasmania. Furthermore, no H5 bird flu detections have been recorded in Tasmanian poultry, meaning local chicken and eggs remain completely safe for consumption.

The Department of Health maintains that human infection with H5 bird flu is rare, rating the current risk to the Tasmanian public as low.

"People can prevent getting bird flu by staying away from sick or dead birds and other animals, including their feathers, fluids, saliva, faeces (droppings) and other contaminated material," Mr Ford said.

To safeguard pets, wildlife, and the broader community, NRE Tas urges residents to practice strict biosecurity measures:

• Keep cats indoors or inside a secure outdoor enclosure to minimize their infection risk while safeguarding native wildlife.
• Walk dogs on a lead, prevent them from investigating, touching, or consuming sick or dead wildlife, and respect local council leash regulations.
• Keep backyard poultry and pet birds isolated from wild birds wherever possible.

Officials encourage the public to remain vigilant and report any sightings of sick or dead wildlife. Observers should follow three key steps:

 1. AVOID contact with sick or dead animals.

 2. RECORD details including the type and number of animals, exact location, and capture photos or video.

 3. REPORT findings immediately by calling the Emergency Animal Disease hotline on 1800 675 888 or via the online reporting tool.

For ongoing updates and guidance on protecting domestic birds, visit www.nre.tas.gov.au/BirdFlu. Health-related enquiries can be directed to www.health.tas.gov.au/bird-flu-avian-influenza.