Australia's Little Penguins Are Getting Vaccinated. The Anti-Vax Crowd Is Not Happy.

Australia, a land famously free of many things you'd rather not encounter (like, say, H5N1 bird flu), just had its streak broken. The highly pathogenic virus arrived on June 20, and it immediately started making itself at home, particularly among coastal birds. Cue the emergency vaccination program.

Top of the priority list? The adorable, flightless little penguins of Victoria, specifically at St Kilda and Phillip Island. Because apparently, even the cutest residents aren't immune to global health crises.

The Unexpected Logistics of Penguin Jabs

Normally, vaccinating wildlife is a nightmare. Picture trying to wrangle hundreds of birds for two separate doses. It’s the kind of logistical puzzle that makes you wish you'd just stuck to spreadsheets. But little penguins, bless their waddling hearts, are different. They're flightless, they hang out in colonies, and they're creatures of habit, returning to the same burrow every night. This makes them, in the words of Western Sydney University's Associate Professor Julie Old, "easier to catch and vaccinate."

So, good news, right? Most Victorians thought so. Until, of course, the internet got involved. Because what's a public health initiative without a generous helping of online outrage?

Josh Burns, a politician whose electorate includes the St Kilda penguins, posted about the vaccination efforts. His Instagram post was met with general approval.

His Facebook post, however, racked up 3,000 likes and a whopping 2,000 comments. Many of them were, shall we say, less than supportive, airing familiar anti-vaccination grievances. "Well that'll be the end of those little penguins then," one user declared, clearly an expert in avian immunology. Another chimed in with, "When the human population wake up. They just move on to wildlife to keep the money flowing."

Mark Andrew, perhaps a seasoned veteran of online comment sections, simply observed, "ohhh my god, the cookers will be out in force."

The Rise of the "Cookers"

For the uninitiated, "cooker" is Australian slang for someone who's a little too fond of conspiracy theories. The term gained traction during the COVID-19 pandemic, originally describing anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown protesters. Now, it's a catch-all for anyone who believes the moon landing was faked and that birds aren't real. The satirical website The Betoota Advocate, never one to miss a beat, even weighed in with a post clearly aimed at this particular demographic.

Cartoonist Pat Hudson also offered his visual commentary.

Meanwhile, the actual bird flu situation is escalating beyond online squabbles. South Australia's Premier, Peter Malinauskas, reported that over 1,000 greater crested terns have died from suspected H5 bird flu. There's also a suspected case in a little penguin on Kangaroo Island – a "particular concern," as the premier put it. And Tasmania is investigating 28 little penguin deaths on King Island.

Adding another layer to the drama, H5N1 was recently confirmed in a seal in South Australia, marking Australia's first confirmed mammal case. So far, 1,000 penguins have received their jabs, and thankfully, no domestic poultry has been affected.

Because apparently, even when facing a serious viral threat, the internet will still find a way to make it about vaccine skepticism. Even for penguins.