The project comes as Australia grapples with its first confirmed cases of the highly pathogenic H5 avian influenza. The virus was first detected in a brown skua near Esperence in June, and 676 positive cases have since been recorded across the country. Western Australia has confirmed only 10 cases and none since July, but experts fear the impact on native wildlife could be severe, particularly on already endangered populations such as black cockatoos.
“While we do not yet know what impact avian influenza may have on black cockatoos, nor what effect a local incursion may have on wildlife treatment numbers, it is important that Perth Zoo have the capacity and infrastructure in place to respond,” a Perth Zoo spokeswoman said. The tender award does not include the cost of fitting out the facility, meaning the total investment will be higher than the $450,000 announced.
The global spread of H5 has been devastating. The virus killed an estimated 13,000 baby seals on the remote Australian territory of Heard Island near Antarctica, and has ravaged bird populations worldwide. The arrival of the virus in Australia in June alarmed both conservationists and the agriculture sector, concerned about the potential for runaway transmission among native wildlife and livestock. The threat was serious enough that poultry events at the Perth Royal Show were cancelled.
Black cockatoos are a threatened species endemic to southwestern Western Australia. The new hospital aims to provide triage and care capacity if the virus reaches the local population, which experts anticipate could be catastrophic.