Elephant seals in San Mateo County first tested positive for bird flu in February and the infection has now spread to other species, according to researchers.
“We have 16 total elephant seals with confirmation to date, as well as a southern sea otter and a California sea lion,” said Christine Johnson, Director of the Institute for Pandemic Insights.
Johnson said at a press conference Thursday morning that as more testing is done, other animals will likely test positive.
She added that they’re trying to figure out whether elephant seals have built up some immunity.
“Northern elephant seals might have more of an ability to sustain and survive infection than what certainly what was seen in the southern elephant seals in Latin America, where the vast majority of them that were observed on the beach did not survive infection," Johnson said.
Birds like western gulls, common murres, and Brandt’s cormorants have also tested positive as part of the outbreak.
On the Central Coast, testing is being done as a precaution on dead animals at Piedras Blancas.
“We have had two samples tested and both of those have been negative and we have a couple more samples that are still pending but no symptoms. We just found dead animals and since this has been happening, we’re testing all the dead animals that we see,” said Heather Liwanag, Cal Poly Biology Sciences Professor.
Liwanag said she and her team are taking precautions by wearing safety gear during the testing.
“It’s still just bird to mammal transition and not mammal to mammal transition as far as we can tell from the evidence we have at the moment," Liwanag said.
Johnson encourages everyone who encounters a dead animal on the beach to contact NOAA at (866) 767-6114.
