In late October 2024, researchers flying drones over the beaches of South Georgia expected to see what had defined the island for decades: dense colonies of southern elephant seals packed along the shore. Instead, large stretches of sand lay strangely empty. What first appeared to be a temporary anomaly soon revealed itself as one of the most dramatic marine mammal population collapses ever recorded in the Southern Atlantic and the consequence of a new virus.
In late October 2024, researchers flying drones over the beaches of South Georgia expected to see what had defined the island for decades: dense colonies of southern elephant seals packed along the shore. Instead, large stretches of sand lay strangely empty. What first appeared to be a temporary anomaly soon revealed itself as one of the most dramatic marine mammal population collapses ever recorded in the Southern Atlantic and the consequence of a new virus.