Another Dead Goose In Hillsborough, DEP Investigating

HILLSBOROUGH, NJ — Another dead goose was found in Hillsborough.

A representative of the Hillsborough Township Clerk's Office confirmed to Patch, "There was just one dead goose near Lowe's."

This new report is in addition to six dead geese reported on Feb. 7 after a resident spotted them on top of a local pond across the street from Hillsborough High School. Read More: 6 Dead Geese Found At Hillsborough Pond

There were no new reports on the dead geese across from the High School as of Tuesday, according to the Township.

"The Health Officer has confirmed that they were reported to the DEP and added that as of Feb. 14, the situation hasn't changed," said the Township representative.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has attributed massive die-offs of Canada geese around New Jersey to the H5N1 bird flu.

However, it is currently unclear if the dead geese in Hillsborough are connected to the recent outbreak of bird flu throughout the state.

In Monmouth County, more than 25 dead geese were found Thursday and Friday in Belmar, Tap Into reports. The birds, along with ducks and swans, were found floating in the Shark River in Belmar, and along South Riverside Drive in Shark River Hills. Read More: 25 Dead Geese Found In Monmouth Co., DEP Investigating For Bird Flu

Additionally, on Feb. 10, parks in Allentown remained closed after dead geese were discovered in the area, one of the first large batches of dead birds reported in Monmouth County.

The current strain of bird flu, H5N1, also known as avian influenza, is suspected to have caused localized deaths of multiple wild birds, predominantly snow geese and Canada geese, in parts of New Jersey since the end of December, according to the state DEP, which is responsible for tracking the spread in wild birds.

The last confirmation of H5N1-related deaths in wild birds in New Jersey was in April 2024, the DEP said.

More than 140 sick or dead snow geese and Canada geese (plus lower numbers of raptors and other avian scavengers) have been reported from more than 30 locations throughout the state, according to the DEP.

Clusters of five birds or more have been reported in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Salem and Warren counties, officials said. Of these wild birds, 11 have tested positive, though the DEP is awaiting confirmation from the federal government.

Though cases of H5N1 have been reported in animals, there are no reported cases of human infection of H5N1 in New Jersey, the DEP said.

Additionally, the US Center for Disease Control & Prevention has declared that the H5N1 outbreak is primarily an animal health issue, NJ DEP Spokesman Larry Hajna said, and poses low risk to public health.

DEP Fish & Wildlife is recommending the following safety measures for the general public:

• Avoid direct contact with wild birds; observe them from a distance
• Avoid unprotected contact with wild or domestic birds that appear sick or have died
• Only eat or drink milk or dairy products made from pasteurized milk and avoid feeding pets raw milk or dairy products. Raw (unpasteurized) milk or dairy products can contain germs that make people and pets sick
• Cook poultry, eggs and beef to appropriate internal temperatures before consumption
• Review ###a href="https://www.cdc.gov/bird-flu/groups/index.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">information from the CDC for specific groups and take additional precautions, including wearing PPE if you may be in contact with infected or potentially infected birds, dairy cows, or other animals.

Occurrences of avian influenza can be tracked here. For further guidance or information on H5N1, you can click here.

— With reporting by Sara Winick, Patch Staff

Have a news tip? Email alexis.tarrazi@patch.com.