Residents of the Hamptons have expressed outrage after hundreds of dead geese, believed to have died from bird flu, were buried in a shallow trench on Georgica Beach in East Hampton. Images show a mechanical digger carving a pit into the sand and piling in what appears to be hundreds of lifeless Canada geese, just yards from the ocean.
Other photographs reveal carcasses and partially decomposed birds scattered along the shoreline, underscoring the scale of the virus that has shocked the affluent coastal community. East Hampton Town Trustees Deputy Clerk Jim Grimes suggested some birds may have succumbed to harsh weather rather than bird flu.
Residents shared images on social media, questioning the disposal method. One Instagram user wrote: 'Can anyone explain why the EH town trustees approved of burying more than 750 dead geese on the beach at Georgica in what's clearly an extremely shallow grave?' The user added that an anonymous source claimed no outside health agencies had been consulted, and that the trustees were 'just doing what the Georgica homeowners association told us to do'.
State officials said the dead birds were likely infected with highly pathogenic avian influenza. Commenters expressed alarm about potential impacts on people and pets, with one writing: 'The poor birds and then what happens to kids, people, pets on the beach when the decaying bodies emerge from this grave. Not acceptable!' Another resident, Jenny Balderon, said she was told by the trustees' office to 'call my landscaper' when she inquired about sick geese.
