More than 3,200 sea lions in Chile died of H5N1 bird flu, raising the total so far this year to 16,310.
Sea lions have been hit unusually hard in South America.
Around 3,500 sea lions in Peru, which is next to Chile, were reported to have died of avian influenza as of early March, raising the possibility of mammal-to-mammal transmission.
Other marine species in Chile have also been hit by bird flu, most notably Humboldt penguins, of which 933 have been found dead so far this year. This represents an estimated 8.5% of all Humboldt penguins in Chile.
“A total population of no more than 11,000 Humboldt penguins is estimated in our country, which is not a lot, because this species has a highly localized distribution,” said María Soledad Tapia Almonacid, the head of the aquaculture service.
“In this contingency we are close to losing 10% of this species and that certainly worries us.”
SERNAPESCA also reported that 2 Chilean dolphins have tested positive for H5N1 bird flu, making it the first time that dolphins have been affected by the virus in the South American country.
At least 9 other dolphins were also found dead but have not been tested.
Other marine animals which are believed to have died of bird flu include 16 marine otters and 15 porpoises, a marine mammal closely related to narwhal and beluga whales.
Most of the deaths have been reported in the northern region.
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