Bird flu detected in polar bear on Svalbard in European first

Bird flu has been detected in a polar bear and a walrus found dead in the Raudfjorden area of Svalbard, marking the first confirmed case of the virus in a polar bear in Norway and in Europe, according to Norwegian news agency NTB as reported by Dagbladet.

The Norwegian Veterinary Institute was alerted in mid-May by the Norwegian Polar Institute after the two animals were discovered dead. Samples were taken from both animals in the field, and the highly pathogenic bird flu virus was subsequently detected in brain tissue from both.

Around the same time, two other polar bears were observed in the area displaying lameness in their hind legs. According to the Veterinary Institute, this can be a neurological symptom, and is consistent with signs previously seen in polar bears infected with rabies and in predators infected with bird flu.

“This gave us reason to suspect a serious infectious disease, and two of us from the Veterinary Institute travelled to Svalbard to assist the Governor’s office with sampling of the dead animals in the field,” said Knut Madslien, veterinarian and specialist in wildlife health at the institute.

The presence of the highly pathogenic bird flu virus in the brain tissue of both animals is considered consistent with the virus being the most likely cause of death, according to the Governor of Svalbard.

Bird flu in a polar bear has been scientifically documented only once before, in an animal found dead in Alaska in 2023.