Bird Flu Outbreak In California, Dozens Of Elephant Seals Pups Killed

Researchers say seven seal pups have tested positive for an avian flu virus at California’s Nuevo State Park and several more are showing signs of the illness. 

The outbreak has prompted park officials to cancel the park’s popular seal-watching tours for the remainder of the seal breeding season. 

Researchers with University of California-Santa



Cruz and University of California-Davis made the announcement Wednesday, calling it the first detected outbreak of the virus among marine mammals in California.

The worldwide bird flu outbreak that began in 2020 has led to the deaths of millions of domesticated birds and spread to wildlife around the world, and seals and sea lions appear to be particularly vulnerable to the disease.