Scientists begin testing bird flu vaccine in monk seals

Wildlife veterinarians have begun testing bird flu vaccines in marine mammals, which have suffered enormous losses in the ongoing global outbreak. The first trial, which began in July, is tiny, enrolling just six northern elephant seals that were already being rehabilitated at the Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito, California.

But if the results are promising, the researchers hope to quickly begin vaccinating wild Hawaiian monk seals, an endangered species that they fear could be wiped out by the virus.

Just 1,600 of the seals remain in the wild, living primarily around a remote chain of Hawaiian islands. Over the coming weeks, scores of migrating birds will arrive in the Aloha State, potentially bringing the virus with them.

“There is some urgency,” said Dr. Sophie Whoriskey, the assoc