“They said it’s the bird flu,” Berry-Franklin said. A spokesperson for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, Larry Hajna, said the birds “may be tested for H5N1,” or avian influenza, ...

Avian flu has hit farms nationwide, led to the slaughter of millions of birds and driven up egg prices, though officials say no cases have been detected among humans in New York.

“Often there is an outpouring of support in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, but it dissipates with time,” she said.