As crowds flocked to Noosa Main Beach to make the most of the winter sunshine over the weekend, Will Watson was on an entirely different mission.
The wildlife rescuer’s hazmat suit in Queensland’s holiday hotspot drew plenty of attention, but his focus was on a northern giant petrel lying on the sand.
Will Watson took no chances while handling a northern giant petrel at Noosa. (Supplied)
“I felt a bit silly wearing the white overalls but it had to be done,” Mr Watson, from Wildlife Noosa, said.
“We’re told to gown up and wear everything until we know what’s going on.”
The sick bird was taken to RSPCA Queensland’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre at Eumundi and swab tested on Saturday for H5 avian influenza (bird flu).
It was then transferred to Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue at Landsborough, where it remains in quarantine.
Will Watson takes the sick bird for testing. (Supplied)
Bridgette and Paula Powers, known as the Twinnies, said it would take several days for the test results to be known.
They said they had taken every precaution in the event of a positive result.
“Usually we’ve got pet pack carriers but we put the bird in a cardboard box so when we brought it through our gates at least we could walk straight through into our quarantine room,” they said.
“We rehabilitate and we go out and rescue as well, so if we get a phone call about a very sick bird on the beach we’ll be gowning up just in case.”
The Twinnies wearing protective clothing to handle a sick seabird. (Supplied: Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue)
Their mother Helen Powers, who helps run the refuge, was trained in bird flu preparedness last year in Western Australia.
They recently put out an appeal on social media to raise $30,000 in donations to build a larger quarantine facility at the centre, at Landsborough on the Sunshine Coast.
The Twinnies, who were famously discovered by the late Steve Irwin, met their goal within 48 hours.
“Better to be early than late,” they said.
“It’s heartbreaking now seeing these sick birds dying … because once they’re gone you can’t get them back.”
The Twinnies have been rescuing and rehabilitating birds for decades. (Supplied: Twinnes Pelican and Seabird Rescue)
Preparing for the worst
Late last week, the H5 strain of bird flu was detected in an Australian seabird for the first time.
The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry (DAFF) has been providing daily updates on the situation.
As of 9am on Monday, Australia had 13 confirmed detections of the H5 strain in wild birds.
There were seven confirmed in Western Australia, five in South Australia and one in New South Wales.
Mr Watson, a volunteer wildlife rescuer, said he was worried about an outbreak in the region.
“We’ve got a good team of volunteers but they haven’t all got the PPE [personal protective equipment] gear as yet,” he said.
“We use our own vehicles, our own fuel. The whole vehicle has to be disinfected once you’ve transported the animal just to be sure.”
The Twinnies have been stockpiling protective equipment in the event of an outbreak. (Supplied: Twinnies Pelican and Seabird Rescue)
David Edwards, from the Queensland Waders Study Group, which monitors shorebird populations, said his members were also concerned.
“The worldwide spread of the avian flu has shown how terrifying it can be for a vast number of species,” Mr Edwards said.
“Unfortunately it’s a much greater problem than a non-government volunteer organisation can deal with, except to report if we do see any sick or dead birds.”
Australia’s chief veterinary officer Beth Cookson told Radio National’s Breakfast program on Monday the community had a vital role to play.
“So far there have been more than 300 negative investigations, which is also starting to build the picture of any additional virus spread, and more than 5,000 reports via the Emergency Animal Disease (EAD) Hotline,” Dr Cookson said.
A greater crested tern, like this one in South Africa, is the latest bird in which H5 has been detected in Australia. (iNaturalist/Creative Commons: Matthew Fainman, CC BY 4.0)
She said Australian authorities had been preparing for “quite some time” for H5 bird flu to arrive.
“Of course, the situation does continue to evolve,” she said.
“So whilst our immediate priority is ensuring that surveillance, reporting and response activities can occur safely and effectively, we are continuing to work with wildlife organisations and other stakeholders to understand the operational needs.”
