Analysis Summary:

The article appears mostly accurate based on the provided sources. The key claim about avian influenza impacting elephant seals in South America is supported. There is a slight slant towards highlighting the potential threat and urgency of the situation, but it's not overly biased.

Detailed Analysis:

• Claim:** Two years ago, avian influenza ravaged elephant seal colonies in South America.
  • Verification Source #1: Supports this claim.
  • Verification Source #3: Mentions a bird flu epidemic and its impact on marine mammals, implicitly supporting the claim that bird flu has been a problem.
  • Verification Source #4: States that more than 17,000 elephant seals are thought to have died from the virus.
  • Verification Source #5: States that approximately 18,000 dead baby elephant seals were found.
• Verdict:** Supported by multiple sources.

• Claim:** Are the colonies on the northern Pacific Coast next?
  • Verification Source #1: Poses this question directly.
  • Verification Source #2: Implies a concern about the spread of bird flu to elephant seals.
• Verdict:** Supported as a concern being investigated.

Supporting Evidence/Contradictions:

• Verification Source #1: Directly supports the initial claim and poses the question about the northern Pacific Coast.
• Verification Source #3: Provides context about the broader bird flu epidemic and its impact on marine mammals.
• Verification Source #4: Provides evidence of the scale of elephant seal deaths due to bird flu.
• Verification Source #5: Provides similar evidence to Verification Source #4 regarding the number of dead elephant seals.
• There are no significant contradictions between the sources. The sources generally agree on the threat of bird flu to elephant seals.