In October a dead polar bear in the most Northern community in Alaska yielded a positive diagnosis of avian influenza. This case is similar to the diagnosis made in a brown bear in Canada during early December.

There is concern that avian influenza strain H5N1 is infecting marine mammals including seals and sea lions with evident animal-to-animal transmission. Terrestrial carnivores including mountain lions, coyotes, foxes and others have been infected from scavenging dead and dying birds. Evidence of intra-herd transmission of H5N1 in mink was described in Spain with demonstration of mutations facilitating infection of a non-avian host.

Polar bears normally prey on seals but due to climate change resulting in diminished sea ice, hungry bears will scavenge dead animals and birds and garbage in the proximity to human habitation.  Recently the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation has described H5N1 mortality among marine birds native to the North Slope.