00:02An affectionate and instinctive greeting that may now prove fatal.
00:06They rub their noses together and all of the sea lions greet each other like that and of course that's
00:11the perfect vector for respiratory illness.
00:14Authorities confirming another four Australian sea lions have tested positive to H5 bird flu.
00:20One of these cases is a seal pup and the other three are adult sea lions that have been detected.
00:25Bringing the total number of sea lions detected in South Australia with bird flu to five.
00:30Aerial surveys of South Australia's islands have identified 14 dead sea lions including 12 on the Pages Islands.
00:38Four of which are confirmed positive with another four, two decomposed to test.
00:45900 seabirds were also detected on the Pages, home to around one-sixth of the country's remaining sea lions
00:52and not far from the famous Seal Bay Colony on Kangaroo Island.
00:57We're on the edge of a precipice but I'm hoping that we'll pull back from it or at least the
01:01sea lions will pull back.
01:02The first multiple death event has experts concerned about the potential for mass mortality.
01:08When the virus reached Herd Island in the Southern Ocean, more than 13,000 baby seals are believed to have
01:15died.
01:16The state government pushing for a vaccination trial being tested on marine mammals overseas.
01:22I would really hope that we would trial the vaccine as soon as possible because the reality is the disease
01:29is already here.
01:30There is a potential saving grace. Our sea lion population is spread over more than 70 islands,
01:37providing a chance some colonies will escape infection.
01:41With an exceptionally low breeding rate, any recovery will be slow.
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