Several mammal species in Europe are affected by the bird flu virus – now including the first polar bear. (symbol image)Image: imago images
May 20, 2026, 1:06 p.mMay 20, 2026, 2:09 p.m
Norway has reported the first case of bird flu in a polar bear in Europe.
The Norwegian Veterinary Institute reported that the virus was detected in a dead one-year-old male animal on the Spitsbergen archipelago. The virus was also found in an adult, dead walrus.
“The findings are part of a development in which the bird flu virus is increasingly being detected in mammals in Europe,” said Ragnhild Tønnessen from the Veterinary Institute, according to the statement. At the same time, the virus has spread to new areas in recent years, including the Arctic, where it could have an impact on endangered populations and ecosystems.
Many mammal species in Europe affected by the virus
In 2023, the bird flu virus was detected for the first time in a polar bear – in a young male in Alaska. According to the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, the animal now found in Svalbard was infected with the H5N5 subtype of the virus. In addition to birds, this type had previously been discovered in Spitsbergen in a walrus and arctic foxes.
The bird flu virus has already been found in many mammal species in Europe. In addition to cows and cats, various predator species from minks, lynxes and bears to seals and gray seals were affected. Poultry influenza has also been detected in a sheep in Great Britain. Infection of humans with the virus is possible in principle, but rare. (nil/sda/dpa)