Two dead geese test positive for bird flu at UMass [Video]

AMHERST, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – In Amherst, two cases of bird flu have been confirmed in the local geese population on the University of Massachusetts campus.

The university says it was discovered this past weekend after two dead Canadian geese tested positive for disease. Western Mass News spoke with an expert to learn more about the disease.

This is the first known positive test for the disease on the UMass Amherst campus. The school told us they’ve been closely coordinating with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources to monitor the situation.

For more information on the discovery, we spoke with state ornithologist for the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Andrew Vitz.

“We’re seeing more of a peak this winter and that may be because you know it’s a colder winter; there’s less open water so birds are really concentrating in these areas and that may just be facilitating the spread,” …