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UNCOVERED: Heard island | History Defined

'Sobering': flu strain kills thousands of seal pups

A devastating strain of bird flu has wiped out more than 75 per cent of the southern elephant seal pup population on a remote sub-Antarctic island.

AAP · Jun 18

More than 13,000 seal pups die on remote Australian island amid bird flu outbreak

Testing confirms spread of deadly H5N1 virus on the subantarctic Heard Island, about 4,000km south-west of Perth

The Guardian - AU · Jun 18

Full picture of deadly flu on island yet to be revealed

Scientists who went on a landmark trip to a World Heritage-listed sub-Antarctic island are awaiting more results after a deadly bird flu strain was discovered.

AAP · Apr 8

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Gentoo penguins the first birds on Australian territory to contract H5N1 as bird flu spreads

Australian Antarctic Program scientists say virus on Heard Island has spread to new species

The Guardian - AU · Feb 17

Deadly flu found on Australian sub-Antarctic island

Testing has confirmed a deadly strain of bird flu has reached an Australian sub-Antarctic island, after scientists raised the alarm after unusual seal deaths.

AAP · Nov 25, 2025

Fish species off icy Heard Island bounced back when illegal fishing stopped and sustainable fishing continued

In the middle of the Southern Indian Ocean lies a vast underwater volcanic ridge known as the Kerguelen Plateau. At its centre sits Australia’s most remote territory: Heard Island and McDonald Islands. These icy outposts about 4,100km southwest of Perth are home to Australia’s only active volcanoes.

The Conversation · Oct 27, 2025

Minister downplays risk of bird flu after seal deaths

The arrival of the deadly H5 strain in Australia is considered inevitable despite the remoteness of Heard Island, where unusual numbers of seal pups have died

AAP · Oct 24, 2025

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Fears of deadly flu spread on remote Australian island

A highly contagious and deadly strain of bird flu is tipped to eventually find its way to the mainland after suspected cases on a remote Australian island.

AAP · Oct 23, 2025

10 bizarre 'dark voids' appear in the skies over uninhabited island near Antarctica — Earth from space

A 2016 satellite photo shows nearly a dozen swirling dark spots that emerged in the clouds over Heard Island in the Indian Ocean.

LiveScience · Aug 12, 2025

‘A bellwether of change’: speed of glacier shrinking on remote Heard Island sounds alarm

Glacial retreat on pristine world heritage-listed island as temperatures warm could endanger unique plant life

The Guardian - AU · Aug 4, 2025

Australia will protect a vast swathe of the Southern Ocean, but squanders the chance to show global leadership

The Albanese government has today declared stronger protections for the waters around Heard Island and McDonald Islands, one of Australia’s wildest, most remote areas. The marine park surrounding the islands will be extended by 310,000 square kilometres, quadrupling its size.

The Conversation · Oct 8, 2024

Australian volcano near Antarctica captured on satellite spewing lava

Lava flow from Big Ben on Heard Island about 4,100km south-west of Perth part of eruption first noted more than a decade ago

The Guardian - AU · May 30, 2023

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