World-first bird flu vaccine rollout begins for wild little penguins in Victoria

A world-first vaccination program for wild little penguins is set to begin in Victoria on Monday night, following the death of an infected bird on Phillip Island that has raised concerns the effort may have come too late to prevent the virus from spreading through the colony. The program aims to vaccinate more than 5,000 little penguins across Phillip Island and St Kilda, with each bird requiring two doses of an H5 bird flu vaccine and a microchip.

The unprecedented rollout was confirmed by Victorian authorities after a little penguin on Phillip Island died from the virus, marking the first confirmed case involving the species in Australia. The discovery has fueled debate about the timing of the response. Victoria's Chief Biodiversity Officer, James Todd, said while authorities were hopeful the vaccine would work, it would not fully stop the H5 virus from circulating and could not guarantee the penguins would avoid infection. "We are hopeful that the vaccine can work of course, this is still uncharted territory, and there are still lots of complexities and risks involved," Todd said.

The vaccine has been trialled on little penguins and several other species, with vaccinated...