OSLO - The first case of a walrus dying from bird flu has been detected on one of Norway’s Arctic islands, a researcher said April 29.

The walrus was found last year on Hopen island in the Svalbard archipelago, Mr Christian Lydersen, of the Norwegian Polar Institute, told AFP.

Tests carried out by a German laboratory revealed the presence of bird flu, he said. The sample was too small to determine whether it was the H5N1 or the H5N8 strain.

“It is the first time that bird flu has been recorded in a walrus,” Mr Lydersen said.

About six dead walruses were found last year in the Svalbard islands, about 1,000 kilometres from the North Pole and halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole.

Mr Lydersen said it was “not improbable” that some of them had the bird flu.

The walrus, which can grow to a weight of two tonnes, eats mainly fish and shellfish, but sometimes also consumes marine birds.

Mr Lydersen said it was important to monitor developments as the walrus tends to group with others in summer months when the ice flow melts.

There could also be a risk from a polar bear eating an infected walrus corpse.

Bird flu has taken a growing toll on farm animals since 2020.

It has already killed one polar bear in Alaska, according to the United States authorities. Thousands of marine mammals have died from bird flu viruses in South America, according to Antarctic researchers. AFP