Officials Told Ohio School to Trash 72 Dead Vultures Like Garbage. Turns Out They Had Bird Flu

An Ohio elementary school recently became the site of an animal massacre you’d expect to see at the start of a horror movie.

Staff and students at St. Bernadette’s School in Clermont County discovered 72 dead vultures on campus after returning from the Thanksgiving holiday break. It took days and mounting media pressure before state wildlife officials responded to the school’s pleas and agreed to collect and test the potentially diseased carcasses. And as it turns out, some of the birds have since tested positive for avian influenza, though the risk of infection to the public is considered low.

Initially ignored

The birds were found on campus December 1, according to local media outlet WCPO 9. School staff contacted the fire chief at Pierce Township, who reached out to the Ohio Departme