First cases of bird flu in dolphins discovered in the UK

The UK Government has announced that two dolphins and a harbour porpoise have died from bird flu in British waters.

The dolphin and porpoise deaths are the first recorded in the UK that are related to the virus, which is known as H5N1.

The deaths follows the largest ever H5N1 pandemic in birds, with millions dying in the past year.

The dolphins were found at different beach locations - in Devon and Pembrokeshire, while the harbour porpoise was found in East Yorkshire.

It is believed other species become infected after scavenging on infected wild birds but it is not clear if this is the case in the unusual transfer of the disease to the dolphins and porpoise. However, the discovery is a real cause for concern.