Officials testing for possible bird flu outbreak in Allentown, New Jersey, after dead geese found
ALLENTOWN, New Jersey (WABC) -- Officials in Allentown, New Jersey are awaiting test results to determine if they have a bird flu outbreak on their hands following the discovery of a dozen dead geese at three separate parks.
Dozens of geese still flock to the pond at Sensi Park, but there is alarming concern after almost two dozen geese were found dead.
As a result, Sensi Park, Heritage Park and Dr. Farmer's Park are now off limits for use while the town looks into the possibility that the deaths were caused by bird flu.
"My family used to feed the geese here when we were growing up. It's a nice memory," said former Allentown resident Anne Burgess.
Allentown spent thousands of dollars to have the carcasses professionally removed.
"They were taken away to a specialty facility, where they either buried them or incinerate them," said Allentown Mayor Thomas Fritts. "We are told that they were infected with the virus as we pushed back to find out if it was our specific geese tested. We were told that they have various sites that they do testing and didn't confirm our location as one of them."
"It was horrible when I first heard about it. When I walked by the dam and saw a dozen by the dam," said Borough Council President John Elder.
New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection and Fish and Wildlife are providing backup to the town to figure out if the HSN1, or avian flu, is responsible, and what remediation might be necessary.
For now, they want everyone to stay out of the affected parks because the virus can spread to more than just birds.
"It's the droppings of the geese that people can get infected by. Their pets can infected by this as well," Mayor Fritts said.
Allentown officials say that if you do see a dead bird, do not touch it, but call officials at Borough Hall and let them know about the bird so it can be removed.
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