Up to 100 dead geese, swans, and ducks have now been recovered along the banks of the Shark River in Monmouth County – all from suspected bird flu.

“We started seeing the dead birds probably about a month ago, maybe a little bit longer,” said Ken O’Brien, who lives along the Shark River in Shark River Hills.

“These poor swans are dying on the beach and convulsing and it’s horrible to see,” said Mary, another neighbor.

For people like Mary and Ken, seeing these disturbing sights from their yards has become common.

“I’m concerned about children because they’re always down there and there’s a playground there. If the foxes drag the birds, there it’s not too healthy,” said Mary.

Arlene Sciarappa is the secretary and acting treasurer of the Shark River Cleanup Coalition – a group dedicated to preserving the beauty of the tidal estuary.

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“Although it hasn’t officially been confirmed, it’s pointing toward the avian flu, and we want to make sure people should avoid contact with the birds, if at all possible,” she said. “They expect with the weather warming up they expect a lessening of the avian flu."

Dead birds haven’t just been seen in Neptune Township. The suspected bird flu is affecting the entire Shark River Basin from Neptune City to Belmar to Wall Township, where 55 dead birds were recovered.

More dead birds were seen in Ocean County along the banks of the Manasquan River in Point Pleasant Borough. The DEP says if you see birds acting strangely, give them a call. No human cases of bird flu have been reported in New Jersey.

Crews have since cleaned up all the dead birds along the Shark River from the past few weeks.

Officials say the first case of what's known as "highly pathogenic" bird flu has been found in a Union County live poultry market. The unnamed store is under quarantine and will be disinfected. The state says no infected poultry was sold to the public.

If you want to report a suspected bird flu case, call the DEP at 877-WARNDEP.

NEPTUNE -- Last week the Asbury Park Press reported on two dozen dead geese in Allentown. Since then, the press has learned of two more locations that wild birds have been found dead: along the Shark River in Neptune and also along the beach in Lavallette.

Fear of bird flu has caused officials to have a number of the wild fowl tested for the H5N1 strain of the avian flu, but no results have come back yet.

After a report of dead birds on the Shark River, the Asbury Park Press went there on Tuesday and observed three deceased swans and two dead geese. Gina LaPlaca, Neptune's business administrator, said the township's Office of Emergency Management is handling the response. It's unclear how many wild fowl have been found dead on the river.

The birds been found in the Shark River Hills section of the river. The OEM said the town doesn't pick up the birds, instead the state Department of Environmental Protection sends out Fish & Wildlife staff to pick up the birds for testing and/or disposal. The NJDEP sends the test results to Monmouth County Health officials.

Allentown's Mayor Thomas Fritts said the his town has not gotten back the results of the autopsies on the geese picked up from three of their parks. Fritts said he was told by state officials it would take a couple of weeks to get answers. In the meantime, last week the town closed two parks and a portion of a third for public safety.

At Lavallette, beachgoers have observed several dead sea gulls. Jennie Weeks, owner of the Happy Belly health foods store in town, said she's seen about seven or eight dead sea gulls during her daily walks over the last three weeks. The Asbury Park Press observed four dead sea gulls on Tuesday.

"Let's get to the bottom of this. Why is it happening and what can we do to address it?" said Janet Tauro, board chair for Clean Water Action NJ, a national nonprofit with chapters across the country, including New Jersey, that advocates for clean water.

Tauro said they have concerns of the virus getting into the water supply. They are also concerned about the safety of pets contracting the bird flu while on walks to the park or by streams that have wild water fowl.

While the bird flu is more common in fowl and dairy cows, it has also infected some mammals, including but not limited to stray or domestic animals such as cats and dogs.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, has been monitoring an outbreak of the bird flu that so far has seen over 157 million cases in domestic poultry 968 in dairy cows since it was detected in 2022. In the current outbreak, the virus in cows was first detected on March 24, 2024. Just under 12,000 cases of bird flu have been detected in wild birds, including 93 cases in New Jersey.

However, as of Feb. 14, there has been no H5N1 detected in New Jersey's domestic poultry or cattle, according to the state. There are also no reported cases of human infection of H5N1 in New Jersey.

Both the CDC and the state of New Jersey said the current public health risk is low. There have been 68 cases, including one death, reported in humans since April 1, 2024. Most of those cases, 36, came from dairy farms in California. The one death occurred Jan. 6 of this year in Louisiana.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, tips for preventing bird flu infection in dogs and cats are the same as for many other infectious diseases:

When Jersey Shore native Dan Radel is not reporting the news, you can find him in a college classroom where he is a history professor. Reach him @danielradelapp; dradel@gannettnj.com.

The Shark River Cleanup Coalition is looking into dead shore birds in the Shark River along Belmar and Shark River HillsPhoto Credit: TAPinto Neptune/Neptune City

By TAPinto Neptune/Neptune City Staff

Published February 15, 2025 at 2:32 PM

Last updated February 15, 2025 at 2:32 PM

SHARK RIVER HILLS - The Shark River Cleanup Coalition is looking into the recent discovery of dead shore birds in the Shark River in Belmar (from McClearie Park to 16th Ave), and in Shark River Hills along South Riverside Drive.

The Department of Environmental Protection has been contacted as well as the State Department of Fish and Wildlife, Marine Aquaculture Enforcement division. Town officials in Belmar and Neptune have also been notified.

The State is working with local health departments to determine if the avian flu is the cause. Infected birds shed avian flu viruses through their saliva, mucous, and feces. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared that the nationwide avian flu outbreak is primarily an animal health issue that poses low risk to the health of the public. As of now, no human infections have been reported in New Jersey.

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Dr. Pat Connelly, NJ DEP Wildlife Veterinarian, is investigating the deaths and collected 14 specimens along South Riverside Drive yesterday (2/14/25) and will autopsy several specimens. He advises avoiding contact with dead birds, and warns that if you keep chickens or ducks in your backyard, they are highly susceptible to the virus. He is hoping to see a lessening trend as the weather warms. Over 25 dead specimens were observed by the SRCC in Belmar yesterday, and 8 dead birds were observed along South Riverside in Shark River Hills.

Sick or dead birds should be reported to the NJDEP Fish and Wildlife hotline at 1-877-WARNDEP (1-877-927-6337)

For more detailed information on the avian flu outbreak, visit the SRCC website, sharkriver.org

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