Dead Vultures Coming Home To Roost
DEP Mismanagement Exposed By Expanding Bird Flu Risks
DEP Spun The Science, Downplayed Risks, And Misled The Public
Back in August of 2022, we blasted the Murphy DEP for allowing dead vultures to rot in the woods along a portion of the Sussex Branch Trail in Lafayette, NJ, warning that such practices could lead to an epidemic of bird flu.
Longtime NJ reporter Bob Hennelly wrote:
The United States Department of Agriculture had confirmed that over 100 black vultures had died in that portion of the trail from Avian Influeneza (bird flu).
“New Jersey DEP Fish and Wildlife have left the dead birds 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 notice said. “Improper handling can lead to further spread of disease.”
The agency went on the reassure the public that “the risk of avian influenza being transmitted to people is extremely low” and that the “New Jersey Department of Agriculture and NJ DEP Fish and Wildlife are continuing monitoring the situation.” …
Bill Wolfe, a former DEP official and whistleblower, said the choice to let the contaminated vultures rot in the wild has roots in what has been a bi-partisan drive going back to the Gov. Florio administration to try and make the DEP more self-sustaining off of the revenues it can raise through permitting and promoting commercial activities.
“DEP Fish and Wildlife has plenty of staff available to promote hunting and logging of State lands (wildlife management areas) but not enough to dispose of dead birds? Are you kidding me?,” Wolfe said. “This is just another example of how DEP budget cuts, misplaced priorities driven by revenue generating activities like hunting and fishing, and lack of leadership at the top directly threaten public health and healthy ecosystems.”
That DEP “reassurance” about health risks was absolute bullshit at the time and we called it out, see:
Our criticisms and warnings were ignored by DEP, NJ media and legislators.
Unfortunately, our warnings and criticisms of DEP again were vindicated. Today’s NY Times:
The bird flu outbreak in dairy cattle has so far spilled over to just three farmworkers in the United States, as far as public health authorities know. All of them have had mostly mild symptoms.
But that does not guarantee that the virus, called H5N1, will remain benign if it begins to spread among people. Accumulating evidence from the animal world and data from other parts of the globe, in fact, suggest the opposite.
In a supporting story reviewing some of that “accumulating evidence” about how the bird flu is spreading, today’s NY Times reports that the DEP assurances were false:
“As we get more dead, wild birds on the landscape, if we get more dead poultry on the landscape, these carnivores that may get into them and ingest them, even after they’re dead, are getting just a massive dose of virus,” said Dr. Justin Brown, a wildlife veterinarian at Penn State.
Repeat – “dead, wild birds on the landscape,” create “just a massive dose of virus.”
When will NJ media and environmental groups begin to hold DEP accountable to science and facts, instead of press release spin?
We’re not holding our breath.