Europe’s first case of bird flu in a polar bear reported in Norway
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Bird flu has been detected in a dead polar bear in the Arctic Svalbard archipelago, marking the first time the virus has been found in the species in Europe.
A deceased walrus from the same region was also confirmed to have avian influenza by the Norwegian Veterinary Institute.
The institute stated this is part of a trend where highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is increasingly found in European mammals and spreading to new Arctic areas.
The detected virus in Svalbard is the H5N5 subtype, which has previously been found in birds, Arctic foxes, and a walrus in the area.
This follows a previous case of a polar bear infected with the H5N1 subtype in Alaska in December 2023, and broader detections in seals, mink, foxes, and otters across Europe and Antarctica.
