This winter, hundreds of dead geese fell around Georgica Pond. No one knew how to dispose of the infected bodies, so a local landscaper just winged it. Georgica Pond is the brackish coastal pond in East Hampton, Long Island, around which sit the summer homes of the filmmaker Steven Spielberg and the hip-hop mogul Jay-Z.
This winter, however, the pond went from a picturesque location to a horror scene when more than 700 dead geese lined its sandy shore and the surrounding area.
Their deaths came at a time when much of the South and North Forks of Long Island were hit with a scourge of H5N1, also known as bird flu.
Wildlife conservationists believe the outbreak was principally caused by an unusually long spell of freezing temperatures, which meant birds were dealing with scarce resources and weakened immune systems. Whenever birds can find small patches of water, they flock straight to them, breathing all over one another and quickly spreading germs. Once symptomatic, the birds typically become disoriented and start dropping dead, often within a day.
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