x     The pathogenic strain of bird flu, H5N1 has killed more than 13,000 elephant seal pups after infecting a breeding colony on a sub-Antarctic volcanic island, Australian scientists from the Antarctic Program discovered.  Australian researchers found the remote Heard and McDonald Islands littered with seal carcasses when they arrived on a research expedition in October 2025. Access to these tiny islands is allowed only with permission from the Australian government. Genetic testing confirmed