More than 70 vultures were found dead on a school campus in Ohio. Researchers have theorized what caused the mass deaths of the birds.
Right now, officials are investigating the deaths as a potential bird flu case. This comes after employees found more than 70 dead vultures at St. Bernadette School in Pierce Township. Students returned from Thanksgiving break to find the fowl massacre, according to WLWT.
There's no official cause of death yet. However, Pierce Township Fire Chief Craig Wright speculates that bird flu caused the mass deaths. School employees found the bodies of the vultures on the school's baseball fields. Clermont County Public Health sent two of the birds to a lab to test for bird flu and the cause of death.
Vultures Found Dead
"Lab results are expected back next week," the organization wrote. So far, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources hasn't collected the corpses of the birds from the field. For now, Wright is urging both students and the public to keep their distance. Officials plan to perform more tests on the birds.
"Dead birds found in groups of six or more are also presumed to be HPAI and are treated as such," Ohio Department of Agriculture spokesperson Karina Cheung told FOX. "Therefore, the vultures in this case are presumed to be positive for (bird flu)."
"Do not handle sick or dead wildlife. If it is necessary to do so, wear impermeable gloves, wash hands with soap and water, and change clothing before having contact with domestic poultry or pet birds," the FWS advised.
Pierce Township spokesman Carl Bohart weighed in. "There is a risk," Bohart said. "but it is extremely low. You have to be handling them for an extended period of time."
