Over 100 dead and decomposing vultures shut down New Jersey hiking trail, officials say

The deaths of dozens of black vultures have led to a shutdown of a New Jersey hiking trail as wildlife officials are letting the birds decompose.

More than 100 black vultures were found dead in the area of the now-closed Sussex Branch Trail in Lafayette, according to an Aug. 27 Facebook post from the New Jersey State Park Service.

These birds of prey have been dying in the state since early August, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection says.

But why?

The black vultures are victims of the ongoing avian influenza outbreak — also known as bird flu — that has impacted millions of birds nationwide, including wild, commercial and backyard flocks, the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed, according to the state DEP.

While vultures consume the carcasses of dead animals, they also feast on dead vultures, the agency says.

This is prolonging the avian influenza outbreak among the black vultures near the hiking trail as the birds are feeding on the ones infected and decomposing, according to the DEP.

“The birds have been left to decompose on site due to rough terrain causing accessibility issues and a lack of personnel in the state certified to handle infected birds,” the DEP said in a statement.

Avian influenza typically does not spread from birds to people but there have been rare instances when transmission has occurred, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A person can become infected with bird flu after contact with an infected bird or touching a surface contaminated with the virus, the CDC says.

In the U.S., more than 40 million commercial and backyard flocks of birds, including chickens and turkey, have been infected with avian influenza as of Aug. 26, according to the USDA.

Meanwhile, hundreds of wild birds across the country have also been infected, the agency says.

The Sussex Branch Trail is closed until “further notice,” according to the New Jersey State Park Service.

Lafayette is roughly 65 miles northwest of New York City.

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