Kenneth Glad
A dead animal found in the high Arctic has given researchers a rare data point in the spread of avian influenza among mammals. The case comes after earlier infections in walrus and Arctic fox on Svalbard.
According to the Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, highly pathogenic avian influenza has been detected in a polar bear on Svalbard, the first known case in the species in not only Norway, but all of Europe.
The Norwegian Veterinary Institute said to the Norwegian network that the virus was confirmed in a brain sample from the bear. A walrus found dead in the same area also tested positive.
The discovery was made in Raudfjorden after the Norwegian Polar Institute alerted authorities in mid-May.
Tourist guides had first seen the dead animals and also reported two nearby polar bears that appeared to be limping on their hind legs.
Signs in the field
The Veterinary Institute said that kind of movement problem may point to neurological illness, which has previously been seen in predators infected with bird flu.
Knut Madslien, a veterinarian and wildlife health specialist at the institute, said the report led officials to suspect a serious contagious disease.
Two institute staff members travelled to Svalbard to assist the Governor of Svalbard with sampling.
The carcasses were found by helicopter, samples were collected, and no other sick polar bears were seen from the air. The animals were tested for both rabies and avian influenza.
Earlier walrus case
The case follows previous detections in Svalbard wildlife. The virus was found in a walrus in 2023 and in Arctic foxes in 2025, according to the Veterinary Institute.
The Barents Observer, citing Norwegian Polar Institute senior scientist Christian Lydersen, reported on April 30, 2024, that a walrus found on Hopen Island had become the first registered walrus death from bird flu on Svalbard.
In that case, samples collected from the animal were sent to a laboratory in Germany, where the virus was identified.
The Barents Observer also reported that researchers warned infections in mammals could increase concern about wider transmission.
The same report noted that Svalbard has an estimated polar bear population of about 3,000, and that a polar bear death linked to bird flu had already been recorded in Alaska.
The known bear
Jon Aars, a polar bear expert at the Norwegian Polar Institute, told NRK that the recently deceased bear was known to researchers. It was a one-year-old male still with its mother.
He furthermore said that the researchers haven’t seen large numbers of dead polar bears despite major bird-colony outbreaks, and he said the species may be relatively well able to tolerate the virus.
The central question now is whether older bears become infected and die.
Aars said polar bears are long-lived animals, which means deaths among mature adults could have more serious consequences for the population than the loss of a young animal.
He also said several polar bears had gathered around the dead walrus, making it likely that they had been exposed.
Researchers do not yet know whether those animals will become sick. For now, the confirmed findings are one young polar bear, one walrus, and a virus already documented in several mammal species on Svalbard.
Sources: NRK, The Barents Observer.
