A polar bear found dead in Alaska has become the first of its species known to have been killed by bird flu.
The animal was found in Utqiagvik, in the far north of the country – which has been hit hard by the current outbreak sweeping the globe.
Several non-bird species have been struck down with the disease since cases in wild birds began soaring two years ago, including dolphins, porpoises, seals, foxes and otters around the UK alone.
The virus, also known as H5N1, can also infect humans, most commonly those working with poultry.
‘This is the first polar bear case reported, for anywhere,’ said Dr Bob Gerlach, the state’s veterinarian, speaking to the Alaska Beacon.
The bear is the first animal listed by the US Endangered Species Act to die as a result of the disease. Polar bears, also known as Ursus maritimus, are also classed as vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
The animals are particularly at risk from climate change, as a warming Arctic means less sea ice, which they rely on to hunt and raise their young. They also play a vital role as the top predator in the region, keeping the food chain healthy by eating other predators such as seals which, if left unchecked, would have a huge impact on fish numbers.
However, with diminishing sea ice, polar bears are also turning to other food sources, and are also known to scavenge.
That appears to be the case here, with the infected bear eating a dead bird that was carrying the disease.
‘If a bird dies of this, especially if it’s kept in a cold environment, the virus can be maintained for a while in the environment,’ said Dr Gerlach.
The prevalence of bird flu in recent years and the spread to other animals highlights that this outbreak is more persistent and lethal than previous cases.
Between November 2022 and April 2023, the UK government put all poultry in ‘lockdown’, meaning all birds had to be kept inside to protect them against the disease.
‘What we’re dealing with now is a scenario that we haven’t dealt with in the past,’ said Dr Andy Ramey, a wildlife geneticist with the US Geological Survey.
‘And so there’s no manual.’
In previous outbreaks, the virus has largely affected domestic poultry, with wild birds helping to spread the disease but not appearing to be drastically affected by it.
However, the current strain has had a devastating impact on wild populations, including those already at risk and low in number.
‘Across North America, and really around the world, lots of wild birds these days – I mean, thousands of wild birds these days, tens of thousands in some cases – are dying because of these highly pathogenic avian influenza viruses,’ said Dr Ramey.
Now, as the disease continues to spread to other animals – including the first case in a squirrel found in Arizona last month – it does not appear to be receding.
‘The concern [here] is that we don’t know the overall extent of what the virus may do in the polar bear species,’ added Dr Gerlach, speaking to the New York Times.
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