Researchers Monitor Bird Flu Outbreak in Elephant Seals at Año Nuevo

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Scientists from UC Santa Cruz are closely monitoring an outbreak of bird flu among the thousands of elephant seals that gather annually at Año Nuevo State Park for their breeding season. The outbreak has raised concerns about the potential spread of the virus to other marine life and even humans in the area.

Why it matters

Elephant seals are a keystone species in the local ecosystem, and an outbreak of bird flu could have devastating impacts not just on the seal population, but also on the broader marine food web. There are also worries that the virus could potentially spread to humans, making this a public health issue as well as an environmental one.

The details

The Beltran and Costa labs at UC Santa Cruz have been studying the elephant seals at Año Nuevo for years, and they have set out to closely monitor the current bird flu outbreak. The researchers are concerned about the potential for the virus to spread rapidly through the dense seal colonies during the breeding season.

• The elephant seals gather at Año Nuevo State Park annually from late December through March for their breeding season.
• The current bird flu outbreak was first detected among the seals in early March 2026.

What’s next

The researchers will continue closely monitoring the outbreak and coordinating with state and federal wildlife agencies to determine the best course of action to protect the seal population and prevent the spread of the virus to other marine life and humans in the area.