In Argentina, scientists scramble to study seal colonies hit hard by avian flu
By Maxwell Radwin A powerful strain of the avian flu has swept through seal colonies in southern Argentina, wiping out many juveniles and raising concern about a spread to other species. The flu, also known as H5N1, appeared in South America in early 2023 and made its way to Patagonian Argentina by August, resulting in extreme mortality among newborn elephant seals. This year, environmental groups are rushing to learn more about the disease and what can be done to prevent it from spreading to other parts of the ecosystem. “There’s no precedent for a mortality from a highly pathogenic avian inf...