Disease in Antarctic wildlife (Umbrella Progam - not required from 2001-02)

Project aim

Few cases of introduced disease have been confirmed in Antarctic or sub-Antarctic wildlife however several unexplained mortality events of over a thousand animals each have been recorded. These include crabeater seals at Prince Gustav Channel, Antarctic Peninsula, in 1955, Adelie penguin chicks at Low Tongue, Kemp Land in 1972 and New Zealand sea lions on Auckland Island. These mortalities may have been caused by disease although this was not proven and for the earlier events no samples are available for study. Discovery of large numbers of dead animals in the Antarctic will cause widespread interest and some response will be required. Research will concentrate on the following priorities, Risks - what are the risks of disease introduction and spread in Antarctica? Monitoring - what should we be doing to ensure early detection? Prevention - what procedures could reduce the risk of disease? Response - what should we do if introduced disease is suspected?