Overview
- More than 70 black vultures were found dead on the athletic fields near St. Bernadette School in Pierce Township, Ohio.
- Preliminary screening indicates highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI, H5) as the likely cause, with state agencies treating the case as presumptive positive.
- Ohio wildlife officers in protective gear removed the carcasses, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources is collecting additional samples for testing.
- Two birds were delivered to the state lab for analysis, and health officials say the initial screening result limits further lab testing steps while the final report is prepared.
- Public health guidance urges people to avoid contact with dead birds, noting the current human risk is low, and state policy presumes groups of six or more dead wild birds to be HPAI cases.