On chilly winter mornings, Paul Pacelli enjoys strolling alongside the Seneca River within the village of Baldwinsville to observe bald eagles snatch fish from the open water close to the dam.
On Jan. 20, he seen one thing uncommon and disturbing: a handful of sick and dying Canada geese laying limp on the ice, unable to elevate their heads. Extra sick geese appeared the subsequent day.
“I’ve a love for wildlife,” Pacelli stated, “and it breaks my coronary heart to sit down there and watch a goose that may’t hold its head up.”
In all, Pacelli has counted 12-15 useless geese on the river previously two weeks. He eliminated some carcasses and reported the incident to the state Division of Environmental Conservation.
Residents round Otisco Lake final week additionally reported no less than 50 useless Canada geese frozen within the ice masking a lot of the lake.
Jennifer Griffin, president of the Otisco Lake Preservation Affiliation, stated she’s by no means seen something prefer it in her six a long time on the lake.
“It was very alarming to see the variety of useless birds,” stated Griffin. “They pop proper out as a result of they’re simply these black blobs all around the ice.”
“We’re sadly seeing a whole lot of incidents with geese, each Canada and snow geese on native lakes,” together with Onondaga Lake, stated Krysten Schuler, co-director of Cornell College’s Wildlife Well being Lab.
“It’s simply sort of unlucky however not surprising,” Schuler stated.
DEC obtained 12 useless geese collected from Otisco Lake and despatched them to Schuler’s lab. Preliminary take a look at outcomes are “presumptive constructive for HPAI,” DEC stated, referring to extremely pathogenic avian influenza, generally generally known as avian flu or chicken flu.
HPAI can also be suspected to have just lately killed scores of waterfowl on Seneca Lake.
Affirmation from the U.S. Division of Agriculture Nationwide Veterinary Providers Laboratories in Iowa is pending, DEC stated.
No risk to ingesting water
Otisco Lake is a important supply of ingesting water, supplying almost 40 million gallons of water per day to 340,000 residents and companies in 5 counties, in keeping with the Onondaga County Water Authority (OCWA).
OCWA govt director Jeff Brown stated the presence of useless geese on the ice has no impression on Otisco’s Lake’s water high quality, and that the water is secure to drink.
“We’ve positively regarded into the difficulty,” Brown stated. “We have now a number of processes to deal with the water that kills something like that, any virus or something related to the birds.”
The present HPAI outbreak started in Feb. 2022 and has affected 153 million birds in each state and Puerto Rico, in keeping with the USDA. That quantity represents greater than 1,500 poultry flocks, each yard and industrial.
It’s unprecedented for an HPAI outbreak to final a few years, stated Schuler. Usually the virus burns out in a single yr.
“We had been truly hopeful this summer time, no less than for wild birds, as a result of we weren’t seeing any continued transmission and hoped that possibly the virus had run its course,” Schuler stated. “However sadly, that was not the case.”
The Cooperative Wildlife Well being Program displays the incidence and impression of HPAI statewide.
Schuler stated she’s obtained extra experiences of HPAI in wild birds this winter, but it surely’s too early to say if that’s because of elevated mortality or as a result of individuals are paying nearer consideration to useless birds on the panorama.
Onondaga County has six confirmed instances of HPAI thus far this yr, in keeping with USDA’s Animal and Plant Well being Inspection Service.
The virus was detected in a wide range of species together with American crow, mallard, bald eagle, pink tailed hawk, and Canada goose.
New York is amongst 13 states the place HPAI outbreaks resulted in large-scale culling in 2025.
In January, a industrial duck farm in Suffolk County euthanized 101,000 birds, a mere fraction in comparison with the almost 9 million birds euthanized at industrial poultry farms in Ohio previously month.
Find out how to report suspected avian flu
The DEC just lately launched a brand new web site for reporting suspected HPAI outbreaks in wild birds. Of explicit curiosity are observations of sick or useless waterfowl, raptors, crows, shorebirds, and different waterbirds reminiscent of gulls, loons, and herons.
OLPA’s Griffin stated she’s involved in regards to the impression the useless geese scattered throughout the lake, and HPAI generally, may need on Otisco Lake’s different wild chicken species.
“A girl down by the causeway stated she noticed an eagle consuming the carcass of a goose,” Griffin stated. “We have now tons of herons and different fishing birds, too.”
Individuals ought to restrict contact with useless wildlife and hold home animals away from carcasses, DEC stated. But when removing of carcasses is critical, DEC presents these tips:
- Put on disposable gloves, a masks, and eye safety.
- Don’t contact carcasses, use a shovel as an alternative.
- Triple bag carcasses and throw them in out of doors trash can.
- Wash fingers and clothes instantly after with cleaning soap and scorching water.
Can individuals get sick from HPAI?
The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention states that HPAI doesn’t current an instantaneous public well being concern. HPAI instances in people are uncommon, and signs are usually delicate.
There have been 67 confirmed human instances, and one demise, from H5N1 an infection, the virus that causes avian flu. All however three instances concerned employees in industrial dairy and poultry operations.
This article by Steve Featherstone was first revealed by New York Upstate on 6 February 2025. Lead Picture: Paul Pacelli, of Baldwinsville, just lately took this photograph of a sick Canada goose on the Seneca River in Baldwinsville. Pacelli noticed 12-15 sick and dying geese on the ice.Paul Pacelli.
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