Dozens of dead and dying geese found in parks and neighborhoods across New Jersey have triggered closures, health warnings, and an expanding investigation into a possible connection to the H5N1 bird flu outbreak.
Local officials are urging residents to avoid contact with wild birds, while state and federal agencies track the virus’s spread in both wildlife and domestic flocks.
“Residents are asked not to approach any geese in or around the area,” the borough wrote, adding that borough officials, County Animal Control, and the County Office of Emergency Management met at the park “moments ago” to begin determining what killed the birds.
“Our Environmental Commission has already reached out to authorities, but be cautious,” the post read. The township directed residents to New Jersey Fish & Wildlife’s online H5N1 resources and stressed that people should not touch or attempt to help sick birds.
Residents are urged to keep people and pets away from sick or dead birds, not to let pets sniff, lick, or eat carcasses, and to avoid walking through droppings or feathers. Officials warned that a sick goose may not flee when approached, but “do not take this as a sign to help,” noting that other animals such as foxes, skunks, and other birds can also become infected and act strangely.
If a resident chooses to remove a dead bird from private property, the township advises wearing gloves, using a sturdy trash bag, double-bagging the carcass, placing it in regular trash with the can covered, then washing hands and tools and reporting the finding to the state’s 1-877-WARN-DEP wildlife hotline.
State wildlife officials are tracking the incidents as part of a broader surveillance effort for highly pathogenic avian influenza, or H5N1, which has been circulating in wild and domestic birds nationwide since early 2022.
H5N1 is a respiratory disease of birds caused by influenza A viruses often carried by free-flying waterfowl, gulls, and shorebirds, which may show no signs of illness but can infect domestic poultry such as chickens, turkeys, ducks, and geese. Typical signs in sick birds can include diarrhea, nasal discharge, coughing, sneezing, and loss of coordination, though some birds die without obvious symptoms, and multiple sick or dead animals may appear in a single location.
Since August 2025, New Jersey has confirmed H5N1 detections in wild birds in Bergen, Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth, Salem, Somerset, Sussex, and Warren counties, with preliminary detections in Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, Essex, and Hunterdon counties.
The New Jersey Department of Agriculture reports confirmed detections in domestic poultry in Hudson, Mercer, Union and Essex counties. The New Jersey Department of Health says it is closely monitoring the situation alongside state and federal partners and that there have been no human H5N1 cases in the state, although the virus has been detected in multiple domestic cats.
Health officials emphasize that the current outbreak remains primarily an animal health issue and that the risk to the general public is low.
“The risk to humans is very low even if you come into direct contact. However, being safe is ideal,” Hainesport officials said.
Songbirds such as cardinals and robins are not considered highly susceptible to H5N1 at this time, and wildlife experts caution that other diseases—including West Nile virus, mycoplasmosis, aspergillosis, and botulism—can also kill wild birds.
For domestic birds, New Jersey residents are asked to call the Department of Agriculture’s Division of Animal Health at (609) 671-6400 to report sick or dead poultry.