Bird-flu has been found in seals in Scotland after their carcasses were found on coasts across the country. Marine testing of the H5N1 strain of the avian influenza, most commonly found in birds, was detected in four seals this week.
The virus was confirmed in both harbour and grey seals in Aberdeenshire, Highlands, Fife and Orkney. It is thought that the current outbreak, which began in 2021, is a result of the high numbers of wild birds carrying the disease across the UK.
Scottish Marine Animal Standings Scheme sent samples from six dead seals to be analysed, with four positive tests confirmed yesterday: a grey seal found dead in Aberdeenshire in late 2021; a dead harbour seal in the Highlands in spring 2022; and two more harbour seals in Fife and Orkney that summer.
