Avian influenza, or bird flu, is a serious infectious disease affecting poultry and wild birds in Australia, and across the world. Avian influenza has many different viral strains, some of which can infect humans and other animals.

There are two types of bird flu that have been making headlines recently – the H7 strains and H5N1.

Victorian outbreak

The 2024 outbreak of bird flu in Victoria was caused by two H7 strains. This sadly resulted in the mass culling of millions of infected poultry across eight farms, in order to protect the lives of many more uninfected poultry across the state and country.

Overseas outbreak

The highly infectious H5N1 strain of bird flu has spread to all continents apart from Australia; however, the spring migration of some shore and sea birds is a high-risk period for the strain arriving in Australia.

This strain has caused the deaths of millions of wild birds and tens of thousands of wild mammals. An outbreak in Australia could have disastrous consequences, especially as one in six Australian birds are already facing the threat of extinction.

How can you help?

There are ways you can help stop the spread of H5N1 before it is detected, including:

• AVOID contact with sick or dead wildlife,
• RECORD what you see, and
• REPORT anything unusual via the:
  • Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888.

For more information, please see BirdLife Australia’s factsheet HERE.

If you have backyard poultry, keep a close eye on Agriculture Victoria’s website. If there is another outbreak of H7 or H5N1 arrives, complying with any government directives and following expert advice will be imperative to halting the spread and protecting your flock.

If you have pet birds, like parrots, make sure to:

• Check Agriculture Victoria’s website
• Contact your local avian veterinarian for advice on specific preventative measures or if you are concerned your bird might be showing signs of bird flu
• Minimise all contact with wild birds
• Ensure water and food sources are covered to avoid contamination from wild bird droppings
• Follow strict hygiene and quarantine standards

What is RSPCA doing?

RSPCA is working hard to ensure that when mass culling needs to occur to protect the health and welfare of uninfected birds and people, that the most humane available option is used. In particular, we are strongly advocating that ventilation shutdown will not be allowed due to the extreme suffering caused by this method of depopulation. (Find out more about ventilation shutdown on our knowledgebase).

More research and funding is needed to develop and commercialise more humane, effective, and practical methods of mass culling to ensure that Australia is prepared in the event of an emergency animal disease outbreak. We are also advocating for increased funding into prevention strategies, including investigating the viability of vaccination.

Biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility, and mitigating the animal welfare impacts of a disease outbreak – be that from the disease itself or from the control methods employed during a response – must be strongly considered by all stakeholders in their planning and preparations.

RSPCA Victoria is urging Sunraysia dog owners to urgently vaccinate their dogs against canine parvovirus (CPV) and remain vigilant of any symptoms amid an outbreak in the area.  

Cases of CPV have so far been confirmed by local veterinarians in Mildura, Red Cliffs, and Irymple. 

Speaking about the virus, Dr Bronwyn Oke, RSPCA Victoria Chief Veterinarian said prevention was better than a cure.  

“Early detection of canine parvovirus is vital to ensure your dog gets the treatment it needs and prevents the spread of the disease further in the community,” Dr Oke said. 

“CPV progresses rapidly, and unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated young dogs are particularly susceptible, so if you do notice any of the signs or have concerns seek immediate veterinary assistance.  

“Even better is being proactive about protecting your dogs by vaccinating them against CPV as directed by your veterinarian.” 

Signs your dog may have parvovirus include: 

• Lethargy, or any unusual tiredness or lack of energy 

• Loss of appetite or a disinterest in food 

• Severe or repeated vomiting 

• Diarrhea, often with blood in the stool 

CPV is a highly contagious virus spread through contact with infected dogs or their faeces, and contaminated surfaces in the environment– such as a local park, shared food or water bowls, or even your own yard – where it can survive for many months. 

Dr Lauren Roberts Ph.D., RSPCA Victoria Community Outreach Manager, agreed, and said vaccinating your dog to protect against canine parvovirus can really make a difference. 

“When our Mildura Loves Pets Program was running from 2021 to 2023 we saw a significant reduction in the number of canine parvovirus cases from an average of 6.2 cases per month in 2020 to 2.8 cases per month in 2023, along with reducing the rate of euthanasia due to CPV,” Dr Roberts said.  

“The results of this program suggests that we had reduced the rates of canine parvovirus and improved herd immunity to this disease, however we are unfortunately starting to see the number of cases increase again this year. 

“Unfortunately, once CPV is out there in the community, it is long-lasting and can remain in the environment for a really long time; the best protection for dogs is vaccination. 

“Vaccination for the disease costs significantly less than treatment which generally requires hospitalisation.”  

If anyone has concerns about canine parvovirus, RSPCA Victoria urges them to contact their local vet clinic. 

RSPCA Victoria has released an audit of the publicly available jumps racing data, finding serious animal welfare concerns, inconsistent data, and a lack of transparency.

RSPCA Victoria Policy and Advocacy Manager, Mhairi Roberts, said the report painted a very concerning picture of jumps racing.

“In defending its safety record, the public has been asked by jumps racing supporters to look beyond the last season and instead consider the long-term jumps racing data,” Ms Roberts said.

“What we found, however, was a systematic failure in animal welfare, significant gaps in data, poorly reported information, inconsistencies, and a lack of accountability and independent auditing.

“Our report found one in every 24 horses died in a jumps race this season, and one in every 10 horse starts resulted in an injury.

“Also concerning are the gaps where no data is publicly available at all – including 2010, 2011, 2020, and 2021.

“Considering the industry has been attempting to improve animal safety in jumps racing for the last 20 years, the comprehensive and accurate collection of data is essential to track improvements – yet all we have found is a disparity of publicly available and verified data over this period.

“It’s clear, even from the patchy data available, jumps racing is incredibly unsafe for horses, and that safety improvements appear to have had little to no tangible impact on horse welfare.

“Given these insurmountable animal welfare concerns, RSPCA Victoria is calling for jumps racing to be banned.”

With Racing Victoria recently announcing a review into the jumps racing season, RSPCA Victoria advocated for the review to have independent oversight.

“We are pleased this ask was successful, with the review now including an independent reviewer and a chance for the Racing Integrity Commissioner to provide recommendations,” Ms Roberts said.

Key issues identified:

• 2024 was one of the highest years of jumps horse fatalities on record.
  • In the 2024 season alone, 1 in every 24 horses died during a jumps race and 1 in every 10 horse starts in a jumps race resulted in an injury.
  • Based on available data, the horse fall rate in jumps racing has not improved in the last twenty years
  • Over the last 34 years a long-term reduction in fatality rates has not been consistently achieved with peaks every few years.
• Only 35% of complete Jumps Review Panel racing reports are publicly available from Racing Victoria since safety interventions began 14 years ago, however these reports:
  • require time-consuming manual tabulation by external parties to paint a complete picture of jumps racing,
  • contain tracked changes and some missing information indicating they may not have been finalised or adequately reviewed prior to being made publicly available, and
  • are not independently audited for accuracy
• No information on the financial or participatory status of jumps racing is available from the last 14 years:
  • Financial information for jumps racing is reported within the total figures for horse racing, rather than separated out by racing type.
  • This muddying of information also occurs for participatory data e.g. jumps racing dependent jobs are not reported separately to other racing industry jobs.
  • The 2009 Racing Victoria review is the most recent information available, which noted all key financial and participatory statistics for jumps racing were in decline, with “many in significant decline”.

For more information about RSPCA Victoria’s advocacy work visit: rspcavic.org/what-we-do/advocacy

RSPCA Victoria’s annual ‘Give to Get Them Home’ fundraiser is on again this Thursday, 3 October.

For one day only, animal lovers across the state can double their impact with every dollar matched by generous sponsors.

Funds raised will go towards rescuing animals from cruelty and neglect, providing life-saving veterinary treatment and all the care they need before helping them find their forever home.

RSPCA Victoria’s Chief Veterinarian, Dr Bronwyn Oke, said the organisation wasn’t immune to the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.

“The cost of caring for the thousands of animals coming through our doors is getting higher every year,” Dr Oke said.

“Unfortunately, these rising costs have a big impact on our ability to provide some of the states most vulnerable animals with the shelter, care, and support they need.

“Every one of the more than 8,500 animals that arrived at RSPCA Victoria last financial year, required some level of veterinary care ranging from standard health checks to x-rays to surgery.

“Animals will sometimes come to us with severe medical issues requiring ongoing care, this can mean months of intensive care and support to get them healthy again.

“Other animals come in needing complex surgery, or multiple surgeries, which is only possible thanks to these generous donations.”

RSPCA Victoria spends on average nearly $60 per day, per animal in its care, with the cost of vital resources like medicines and vaccines putting pressure on RSPCA.

“In addition to the cost of some medicines increasing, the cost of essential fluids required for surgery has also increased significantly in the last 12 months,” Dr Oke said.

“This one day is an incredible opportunity for everyone who cares about animals to make a significant difference and have their donation go further than ever before.

“With your help, we are able to provide vital care, shelter, and medical treatment to the animals in need across Victoria and help prevent cruelty to animals.”

In 2023 over $900,000 was raised, with RSPCA Victoria hoping to exceed that amount this year thanks to the support of corporate sponsors and the Victorian community.

These funds provide animals at RSPCA with vital care including food and water, shelter, vaccinations, and medical treatment, as well as funding the work that goes into finding their new home.

All donations on Thursday, 3 October will be doubled thanks to donation matching sponsors. To donate, visit rspcavic.org and make your donation count.

2024 Matching sponsors include: Royal Canin, Peter Alexander, Bravecto.