This undated handout photo released by the Australian Antarctic Division on June 18, 2026, shows a wildlife team from the Australian Antarctic Program assessing the site of a mass mortality of southern elephant seals on Heard Island. A pathogenic strain of bird flu killed more than 13,000 elephant seal pups after infecting a breeding colony on a sub-Antarctic volcanic island, Australian scientists said on June 18. Researchers found the remote Heard and McDonald Islands littered with seal carcasses when they arrived on a research expedition in October 2025. (Photo by Julie MCINNES / AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC DIVISION / AFP via Getty Images) / ----EDITORS NOTE NO ARCHIVE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / AUSTRALIAN ANTARCTIC DIVISION / Julie MCINNES" NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS