Managing dead birds and wildlife on your land

Who these guidelines are for

These guidelines are for land managers and the public in Victoria to know what to do if dead or sick wildlife is found on their land. They relate to wildlife that has already died and do not authorise the killing, destruction or harming of wildlife.

H5 bird flu should be considered if a high number of a flock or group of birds become ill very quickly – progressing from normal to severe illness or death within 24 to 48 hours.

You may not know if the birds have H5 bird flu; however, you should treat them as though they do, in line with the advice below.

How to report

Your report helps us to understand the spread of H5 bird flu across the state. Accurate reports help us respond quickly where necessary.

Reporting of suspected bird flu on your land is mandatory under the Livestock Disease Control Act 1994.

The Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action (DEECA) will triage all reports of sick or dead wild birds or mammals. We will decide if samples for H5 bird flu should be collected. If sampling is likely, you may be contacted, particularly if the wildlife is on your land. If we need to contact you, this usually happens within 24 hours. Please note that while every report gets reviewed and contributes to the surveillance picture, not all wildlife will be sampled.

If you are reporting dead poultry, including chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese or other domestic birds, please do not dispose of them until DEECA contacts you. We will advise you if sampling is required and give further instructions on handling and disposal of dead poultry.

More information on reporting dead birds is available on report sick or dead wild birds and wildlife.

You can access a map and summary of the reports of sick or dead wildlife received by DEECA, and subsequent sampling information where testing was undertaken.

Managing dead wildlife on your land

If you find dead birds or wildlife on your property, do the following:

• Avoid contact if possible: Leave dead wildlife to decompose where it is found unless for public safety reasons.
• Record what you see – how many birds and when: Photograph the location and position of the birds. This will assist Agriculture Victoria and/or the Conservation Regulator if an investigation into the cause of the bird’s death is required.
• If disposal of dead birds is necessary on your land: For low numbers of birds (less than 5 birds or 1 penguin, pelican, bird of prey or black swan), you can proceed to dispose of the dead wildlife using the existing general waste collection service such as the red lid general waste bin using the safe practices below. Read more information on managing dead wildlife on private land.
  Before you proceed with disposal, you can call the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888 and seek advice if you need.
• For large numbers (more than 5 birds or more than one penguin, pelican, bird of prey or black swan) or for even one mammal (e.g. seal, sea lion, dolphin): Call the Emergency Animal Disease Hotline on 1800 675 888 .
• If the wildlife is on someone else’s land: Leave the animal and report it to the land manager as well as reporting the incident via the hotline or online form.

In most circumstances, dead wildlife should be left where it is found to decompose naturally on Country. Removal is not routinely recommended, as unnecessary intervention can disturb surviving wildlife and increase the risk of disease spread.

Use safe practices

To protect yourself and stop the disease from spreading when collecting dead birds use safe practices.

Risks of H5 bird flu for humans

Bird flu viruses rarely spread to people, but it can happen through close contact with infected animals (alive or dead) or, less commonly, through contact with places or things sick birds have contaminated.

The Department of Health advises that good occupational health and safety practices should be observed to minimise the risk of transmission.

What to do if you feel unwell after disposing of dead birds or wildlife

See your doctor if you develop flu-like symptoms after recently returning from a country with bird flu outbreaks, or after having contact with sick or dead birds or animals.

For more information about human health and bird flu visit the Better Health Channel or the Department of Health, Disability and Aging – Bird Flu

Protect your pets and other animals

Keep pets and other animals away from dead wildlife.

After you have disposed of the dead wildlife, you should remove and wash clothing, clean and disinfect shoes and other contaminated items, and wash your hands with soap BEFORE interacting with other people, poultry, kept birds or pets such as birds, cats or dogs.

If you wish to take extra precautionary steps, you could avoid close contact with kept birds and poultry for 48 hours after handling dead wildlife that might have H5 bird flu.

Dead wildlife on public land

If you see dead wildlife on public land, leave it in place and notify the public land manger.

An authorisation order under the Wildlife Act 1975 supports the management of dead wildlife on public land where H5 bird flu is suspected. The Wildlife (Possession and Disposal of Dead Wildlife on Public Land) Authorisation Order No. 1/2026 authorises land managers, their employees and agents to temporarily possess and dispose of wildlife that is suspected to have died from H5 bird flu on public land, where necessary for safety. The authorisation order includes birds and mammals, except for whales and dolphins.

If you suspect wildlife crime may have occurred, contact the Conservation Regulator via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Further information

• Avian influenza (bird flu)
• Bird flu (Avian influenza) – DAFF
• Resources for bird flu – DAFF
• Bird flu (avian influenza) – Australian Centre for Disease Control

Resources

Guidance for public land managers for managing H5N1 infected wildlife in a response is available here:

• Guidelines for managing wildlife infected with H5 bird flu on public land – full version [PDF File - 181.4 KB]
• Guidelines for managing wildlife infected with H5 bird flu on public land – accessible version [MS Word Document - 592.4 KB]

A protocol for public land managers to decide on restricting access to public land is available here:

• H5 bird flu public land access protocol

Guidance for the waste sector on H5 bird flu is available here

• Guidelines for waste service providers on the disposal of dead wildlife during H5N1 avian influenza response
• Guidelines for waste service providers on the disposal of dead wildlife during H5N1 avian influenza response
  [PDF File - 390.4 KB]
• Guidelines for waste service providers on the disposal of dead wildlife during H5N1 avian influenza response – accessible version [MS Word Document - 360.2 KB]