Scientists fear for penguins in Antarctic as one dies of deadly H5N1 bird flu strain – WION

In what comes as a first, at least one king penguin is suspected to have died from bird flu in the Antarctic. If the suspicion is confirmed, it could spell havoc for the population of penguins on the continent.

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According to the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (Scar), the case was recorded on South Georgia Island. A gentoo penguin is also believed to have died after contracting the H5N1 virus at the same location. More than 20 chicks were also either dead or showed symptoms of the virus.

Currently, the king penguins have clustered together for the breeding season. If the lethal variant of avian flu is indeed found in the dead penguin, it could rip through entire colonies and continue to spread through the region.

King penguins measure about 3 feet in heightand are regarded as the world's second-largest penguins behind Emperor penguins.

Earlier this month, using satellite imagery, researchersrevealedpreviously unknown colonies of emperor penguins along the edges of Antarctica.The scientists said that the finding of these nests adds a few thousand extra penguins to the earlier estimated population of 550,000.

However, if the bird flu reaches them, it could be disastrous and wipe out the entire species. Emperor penguins are already considered "near threatened" and face extinction. The new bird flu scare has added to the challenge to protect them.

Watch:Four new emperor penguin groups discovered in Antarctica

The highly contagious H5N1 virus was first reported when it made its way to populations of brown skuas on Bird Island, part of the British overseas territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, in October last year.

The death of themigrating brown skuas led researchers to send swabs back to the UK for testing. The results confirmed the presence of H5N1 on the Antarctic island.

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Scientists are concerned that owing to the continent's prior lack of exposure to H5N1, the wildlife has no natural immunity towards the virus. The USCenters for Disease Control and Prevention states that there have been instances where bird flu has been contracted by the mammals who eatpresumably infected birds or poultry.

Through this way, the virus might be able to jump from birds to mammals, therefore having a tremendous impact on the region's ecosystem.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Scientists fear for penguins in Antarctic as one dies of deadly H5N1 bird flu strain - WION