Bird flu knocks California seal watching tours off the schedule

 

Screengrab: Ano Nuevo State Park 

Headline:  The Hill, 2/26/2026

Sophie Brams reports:

Parks officials in California have canceled popular guided elephant seal tours for the remainder of the season and temporarily closed public viewing areas following a recent outbreak of bird flu at a state park. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory confirmed positive cases of the highly pathogenic H5N1 virus in seven weaned pups at Año Nuevo State Park this week, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis, and University of California, Santa Cruz. 

[snip] 

Año Nuevo State Park, located just north of Santa Cruz, is home to one of the largest elephant seal colonies in North America, with roughly 5,000 seals making their way there during the winter breeding season, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). 

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Maryland reports 3rd case of bird flu in 2026.  (2/27)

California reports cases of bird flu in elephant seal pups.  (2/26)

Argentina reports first cases of bird flu in commercial operation since fall of 2025.  (2/25)

South Carolina reports its first case of bird flu at commercial operation since before 2022.  (2/25)

Ontario reports 1st Canadian bird flu outbreak in more than a month.  (2/24)

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Japan reports 20th case of bird flu this season at farm with 560,000 egg-laying hens.  (2/22/2026)

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