Bird flu may be why over 1,000 geese died in NJ this week

Geese are reportedly dying in large numbers throughout the state of New Jersey causing a new concern over bird flu.

According to New Jersey’s Department of Environmental Protection, over 1,100 dead or sick wild birds were reported all over the state between Saturday, Feb. 14 and Monday, Feb. 16.

Nearly all of the reports were about Canada geese.

The following counties have reported dead geese:

Hainesport, Burlington County
Sicklerville, Camden County
Edison, Middlesex County
Holmdel, Monmouth County
Manalapan, Monmouth County
Matawan, Monmouth County
Basking Ridge, Somerset County

In Gloucester County, the Borough of Pitman announced on Tuesday that Betty and Alcyon parks are closed after dead geese were reported around the lake.

Local officials are working to remove the dead birds when possible as the NJ DEP Fish and Wildlife team is coordinating with landfills to safely dispose of the carcasses, state leaders say.

Pa. Gov. Shapiro kicks off extra support to poultry farmers to fight bird flu

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has reported that over 14.3 million birds have died since the current bird flu outbreak started in February of 2022.

Since the beginning of 2026, state leaders say that the bird flu virus has impacted 7.2 million birds.

On Wednesday, Feb. 18, Gov. Josh Shapiro deployed 42 USDA employees and six Commonwealth workers to help veterinarians, Penn State Extension experts and National Guard members to help stop the spread of the virus.

“I know farmers are worried given the recent increase in cases, but I want them to know that my Administration is standing with them and continuing our aggressive response to protect Pennsylvania flocks,” Gov. Shapiro said in a statement.

To learn more about how Pa. is handling the bird flu, click here.

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