Death of vultures from bird flu on Lafayette trail spark closure
Hikers, bikers and horseback riders for the immediate future will have to steer clear of a nearly half-mile sect of the Sussex Branch Trail in Lafayette after federal officials confirmed the death of over 100 black vultures due to the bird flu.
Hikers out on a leisurely walk spotted the eerie sight last week while traversing the rail-trail that runs adjacent to The Shoppes at Lafayette and called authorities, who came out to investigate. Photos of the scene, posted on social media, show the dead gray-headed vultures scattered across the dirt trail. Live vultures could be seen watching from atop nearby trees.
"[Black vultures] tend to scavenge the carcasses of dead vultures, which can prolong the duration of a local outbreak such as the one being seen in Sussex County," the state Department of Environmental Protection said in a statement.
The trail near the parking area of the former Olde Lafayette Village off Route 94 southbound to Morris Farms Road — which is roughly 0.4 miles-long — will be closed indefinitely.
State park officials said they are leaving the dead vultures to decompose due to rough terrain causing accessibility issues and a lack of personnel in the state certified to handle infected birds. Improper handling could lead to a spread of the disease, they said.
Avian influenza, known as the bird flu, is a phenomenon that has been observed in several states among wild birds, which are known vectors of avian flu infections. Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus strains are extremely infectious, often fatal to chickens, and can spread rapidly from flock-to-flock, according to the USDA.
Officials say the risk of avian influenza being transmitted to people is extremely low, although improper handling could spread the virus. The virus spreads through contact with bodily secretions, including saliva, mucus and feces of infected birds. It can spread on vehicles, equipment and shoes.
A bird flu outbreak at a sanctuary in Georgia on Aug. 13 led to the death of at least 700 black vultures, according to an Associated Press report. Dozens of other birds at the sanctuary, which houses over 500 species of birds, had to be euthanized as a result of the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain.
Earlier this month, the New Jersey Department of Agriculture warned Warren County poultry owners in designated areas to be on alert after a backyard flock of ducks and chickens in Northampton County, Pennsylvania, which borders New Jersey, were confirmed to have a highly pathogenic avian flu. The outbreak was the first confirmed case in the state among non-commercial backyard flocks, the NJDOA said.
The bird flu has lead to the deaths of over 40 million chickens and turkeys and over 2,100 wild birds in the latest data posted Aug. 23, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The wild birds include nearly 500 Canadian geese, almost 300 black vultures, not including the recent Sussex County case, as well as 220 bald eagles and nearly 140 owls, the USDA reports.
Zoos across the nation have sequestered their birds indoors and away from people to protect them from the highly contagious virus. In Maine, close to 60 seals were found stranded and dying off Maine beaches this summer after they were hit with the virus and either died or had to be euthanized, according to the federal government. The rate of dead seal strandings in Maine is about three times the normal rate for summer, according to the agency.
Lori Comstock can be reached on Twitter: @LoriComstockNJH, on Facebook: www.Facebook.com/LoriComstockNJH or by phone: 973-383-1194.
This article originally appeared on New Jersey Herald: Lafayette NJ bird flu deaths: Popular hiking trail shut down
