Korea finds bird flu in wild mammal for second time, first this winter

South Korea's environment ministry said Monday that highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza had been detected in a dead leopard cat found near a reservoir in Seosan, South Chungcheong Province, the first case in a wild mammal this winter. The carcass was discovered on Oct. 23 near Ganwol Lake in Seosan's Buseok township after a visitor reported it, and the National Institute of Wildlife Disease Control confirmed the virus in a detailed examination.

It is the second time the H5N1 strain has been found in a wild mammal in Korea, following the country's first such case in a leopard cat in Hwasun, South Jeolla Province, in March 2025. The leopard cat is a class II endangered species that feeds mainly on rodents and birds.

The ministry said it is responding under standard operating procedures drawn up after the Hwasun case and ordered special surveillance within a 10-kilometer radius of the detection site, including searches for dead wild mammals and on-site inspections. It asked local governments including Seosan to carry out emergency quarantine measures such as disinfection and access restrictions, and said it will analyze the virus's genes to determine its characteristics and origin and to check for further infection among nearby wildlife.

The agriculture ministry said it is carrying out emergency quarantine measures at poultry farms within the same 10-kilometer zone and has ordered thorough cleaning and disinfection of farms, facilities and vehicles.

Health authorities and local governments in South Chungcheong Province are monitoring the people who found the carcass and rescue center workers who handled it, allowing for the virus's 10-day incubation period. No one has shown suspected symptoms so far, the agencies said.

"Highly pathogenic avian influenza has been confirmed in a wild leopard cat again this year, following last year, so we will strengthen surveillance and testing to closely investigate additional infections in wildlife and do our utmost to ensure the safety of on-site response workers and the public," said Lee Chae-eun, head of the environment ministry's nature conservation bureau. "We also ask the public not to touch wild animal carcasses directly and to report them immediately."

Lee Dong-sik, head of the agriculture ministry's quarantine policy bureau, said the risk of the virus entering poultry farms has risen sharply now that it has been confirmed in a wild mammal as well as wild birds. He urged farm operators to spread rodenticide, manage carcass storage safely, control access by outside people and vehicles and disinfect farm interiors and exteriors daily to keep wildlife out.

The environment ministry advised people to avoid visiting habitats such as migratory bird sites, to refrain from touching wild animals or stepping in their droppings and body fluids, and to disinfect shoes and vehicles and wash their hands after returning home. It also asked poultry farm workers to stay away from migratory bird sites and to report suspected cases to quarantine authorities.