Bird flu decimates 10% of Humboldt penguin population in Chile

In the wake of a severe bird flu outbreak caused by the highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1), Damas Island in northern Chile, usually a bustling tourist hotspot teeming with wildlife, is now only visited by paramedics in biosecurity gear retrieving deceased animals.

The H5N1 virus has prompted the closure of the Humboldt Penguin National Reserve in the Coquimbo region, which encompasses Damas Island, home to 56% of the Humboldt penguin breeding pairs endemic to Chile and Peru.

The National Fisheries Agency (Sernapesca) has reported that the current avian flu crisis has claimed the lives of 10% of the Humboldt penguin. . .