On a remote World Heritage island in the Southern Ocean, Australia has made an unprecedented decision: to evacuate 24 researchers from Macquarie Island not from physical danger, but from the anticipated psychological weight of witnessing a mass death of elephant seals and their pups as bird flu advances. The virus has already claimed more than 90 percent of pups in nearby colonies, and its arrival during breeding season could devastate tens of thousands of animals. In choosing to protect the inner lives of its scientists, the Australian government has quietly acknowledged something long unspok
Australia evacuates researchers from Macquarie Island to protect mental health amid bird flu threat
No direct human casualties, but 24 researchers face psychological trauma from anticipated mass death of thousands of seals and pups.