H5N1 bird flu: Surfer Aaron Blake’s run-in with flu-infected petrel on South Australian coast
The second confirmed case of H5N1 bird flu was discovered at a beach in South Australia after a surfer encountered the sick bird during a swim.
A surfer who found a bird which tested positive for bird flu says he hasn’t been contacted by health officials.
South Australia confirmed its first case of avian influenza (H5 bird flu) on Wednesday, with one bird testing positive and another testing negative.
The migratory seabird, a giant petrel, was found at Knights Beach on the Fleurieu Peninsula on June 14 next to another petrel, which tested negative.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The man who found one of the birds, Aaron Blake, was bodyboarding at the beach when he spotted the sick bird.
Speaking to the FIVEAA Breakfast radio show on Thursday, he said the bird was being “pommelled” by the waves, so he swam over to see if it “would fly away”.
“I kind of touched it, it tried to have a bite of me and I was like ‘I’m not going to touch that now’,” he said.
“It just got pommelled by waves and pushed into shore and then another surfer picked it up and put it on the beach and the wildlife people came and collected it.”
Despite the low risk of humans catching bird flu, Mr Blake said he hadn’t been contacted by any health professionals after handling the sick bird.
SA Bodyboard Club president Jasper Ashmoore was metres away from the bird when it was discovered and said it was obvious the petrel was in trouble.
“It came from around the back of the rocks getting swooped by seagulls and it just landed in the water right next to us and you could tell instantly that there was something going on with the bird,” he said per The Adelaide Advertiser.
“It floated in a bit further into the impact zone there and white water just engulfed it.”
He said one of his friends attempted to pull the bird onto his board before a surfer picked it up and carried the petrel over to the rocks.
Mr Blake, who was the first to discover the sick petrel, said he wasn’t aware of any risk of bird flu until the first case of avian influenza was reported six days later.
The birds were taken to Wildlife Welfare Organisation in Goolwa, about 85km south of Adelaide, where they were euthanised and will undergo post-mortem testing.
Originally published as ‘Touched it’: Surfer’s wild run-in with flu-infected bird on South Australian coast
