Norway reports Europe’s first case of bird flu in a polar bear
The H5N5 variant was also found in a walrus found about 1,000km from the North Pole, and is thought to be the likely cause of death
Norwegian authorities on Tuesday announced that bird flu has been documented in a polar bear for the first time in Europe, in the Svalbard region in the Arctic.
The H5N5 variant of the virus was detected in samples taken from a male bear about one year old and a walrus found dead in mid-May on the icy archipelago, around 1,000km (600 miles) from the North Pole, the Norwegian Veterinary Institute said.
“The results are part of a trend in which highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses are increasingly being detected in mammals in Europe,” noted Ragnhild Tonnessen, bird flu coordinator at the Veterinary Institute, quoted in a press release.
“At the same time, in recent years, the virus has spread to new regions, including the Arctic, where it can have consequences for vulnerable populations and ecosystems,” she added.
The governor of Svalbard said separately that the presence of the virus in brain samples from both animals “is consistent with the hypothesis that it was very likely to be the cause” of their deaths.
A walrus that died of bird flu had already been found in Svalbard in 2023, and the virus was also documented the same year in a polar bear that died in Alaska.