Fox and dolphin die from bird flu on Surf Coast

0:00A fox and dolphin have been found dead on the surf coast as bird flu continues to spread across the state. In a sobering message, Victorian authorities say we're only at the beginning of the virus. Christy Mayer has today's developments. There are more than 200 confirmed cases of the deadly H5N1 virus in birds in Victoria. And now it's spreading to other species, with a dolphin and a red fox both found dead on the ballerine peninsula. Dying and dead wildlife is really confronting and distressing. We're at the beginning of a virus which will continue to impact on Victoria's wildlife. Perhaps in ways that we still don't know. There are still no cases of bird flu, any of our poultry farms, but primary producers are worried. Lockdown orders for chicken farms along the southern coastline remain in place. They're all very nervous at the moment. We have to learn to mitigate risk.

1:01And the way we do that is by locking up our birds. Any detection in poultry would very quickly trigger a nationally coordinated emergency and disease response. Today authorities confirmed they're stepping up surveillance. Pet owners are also being warned to keep dogs on a leash and cats inside to reduce their risk of exposure to disease wildlife. 1500 penguins have now received their first dose of a vaccine, with a second-jub scheduled in the coming weeks. Authorities also now looking to immunise other threatened species in zoos and sanctuaries. Bird flu is extremely rare in humans and the risk remains low. There are no cases of it in Australia where urge to avoid touching any sick animals if we see them and to report them to the hotline.