Bird flu detected in dead South Australia dolphin

H5N1 bird flu has been detected in a dead common dolphin found at Goolwa in South Australia, the state's Department of Primary Industries and Regions said Friday, describing it as the first case of its kind in the country.

The department said H5 bird flu has been found in dolphins and porpoises overseas. It said dolphins do not commonly eat birds but sometimes interact with them.

South Australia's Chief Veterinary Officer Skye Fruean told media the dolphin is believed to have eaten a bird or interacted closely with a wild bird. She said dolphins are highly susceptible.

Officials also confirmed that the virus had been detected in a red fox near Adelaide. Australia's Chief Veterinary Officer Beth Cookson said it was the first detected case in a land mammal in Australia and stressed that the risk to human health remains low.

Australia had for years been the only continental landmass free of the H5 strain, which has caused severe disease and death in poultry and wild birds worldwide. Officials said no cases have been detected in poultry or in agricultural production in Australia.