Australia Begins Vaccination of Wild Penguins Against Bird Flu

Australian authorities have launched an ambitious operation to hand-vaccinate 5,000 wild little penguins to prevent the spread of the H5N1 bird flu virus.

The vaccination campaign leverages the penguins' predictable nightly routine to allow wildlife experts to safely administer the doses to the birds.

Officials initiated the project to mitigate the risk of a potential H5N1 outbreak, which could have severe consequences for the country's native wildlife populations.