Deen Maar Island was once home to Australia's largest fur seal colony before the pups started developing alopecia.

In short:

Australian fur seals on the south-west Victorian island Deen Maar are reportedly suffering from widespread hair loss that has been linked to pollution.

The colony’s population has declined more than 40 per cent in the past nine years. What’s next?

There are concerns the hair loss, attributed to alopecia, could make the seals more vulnerable to the H5N1 strain of bird flu.