(FILES) Chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarcticus) penguins are pictured at Deception Island, in the western Antarctic Peninsula, on January 24, 2024. Avian influenza, a highly lethal virus now advancing across Antarctica, is increasingly threatening the native wildlife of the white continent, Chilean scientist Victor Neira warns. (Photo by JUAN BARRETO / AFP via Getty Images)

(FILES) View of a chinstrap (Pygoscelis antarcticus) and gentoo (Pygoscelis papua) penguins at the Gerlache Strait -which separates the Palmer Archipelago from the Antarctic Peninsula, on January 15, 2024. Avian influenza, a highly lethal virus now advancing across Antarctica, is increasingly threatening the native wildlife of the white continent, Chilean scientist Victor Neira warns. (Photo by Juan BARRETO / AFP via Getty Images)

(FILES) View of a gentoo (Pygoscelis papua) penguin with its breeding at the Paradise Bay in the Gerlache Strait -which separates the Palmer Archipelago from the Antarctic Peninsula, on January 20, 2024. Avian influenza, a highly lethal virus now advancing across Antarctica, is increasingly threatening the native wildlife of the white continent, Chilean scientist Victor Neira warns. (Photo by JUAN BARRETO / AFP via Getty Images)

Chilean scientists work at the Veterinary Laboratories of the University of Chile in Santiago on February 17, 2026. Avian influenza, a highly lethal virus now advancing across Antarctica, is increasingly threatening the native wildlife of the white continent, Chilean scientist Victor Neira warns. (Photo by RODRIGO ARANGUA / AFP via Getty Images)

Chilean scientist Victor Neira puts samples on a fridge at the Veterinary Laboratories of the University of Chile in Santiago on February 17, 2026. Avian influenza, a highly lethal virus now advancing across Antarctica, is increasingly threatening the native wildlife of the white continent, Chilean scientist Victor Neira warns. (Photo by RODRIGO ARANGUA / AFP via Getty Images)

Chilean scientists work at the Veterinary Laboratories of the University of Chile in Santiago on February 17, 2026. Avian influenza, a highly lethal virus now advancing across Antarctica, is increasingly threatening the native wildlife of the white continent, Chilean scientist Victor Neira warns. (Photo by RODRIGO ARANGUA / AFP via Getty Images)

A Chilean scientist holds a sample at the Veterinary Laboratories of the University of Chile in Santiago on February 17, 2026. Avian influenza, a highly lethal virus now advancing across Antarctica, is increasingly threatening the native wildlife of the white continent, Chilean scientist Victor Neira warns. (Photo by RODRIGO ARANGUA / AFP via Getty Images)

Chilean scientist Victor Neira works at the Veterinary Laboratories of the University of Chile in Santiago on February 17, 2026. Avian influenza, a highly lethal virus now advancing across Antarctica, is increasingly threatening the native wildlife of the white continent, Chilean scientist Victor Neira warns. (Photo by RODRIGO ARANGUA / AFP via Getty Images)