‘DRUNK’ PARROTS BEING LEFT WITH NASTY HANGOVERS AFTER MSYSTERY ILLNESS SRIKES
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June 4, 2010
Australia’s tropical wet season in Darwin seems to be having a strange effect on native parrots - leaving them falling out of the sky drunk.
The red-collared lorikeets in Northern Territory have fallen victim to a mystery illness which leaves them displaying the signs of human drunkenness.
The birds have been spotted stumbling around with no co-ordination, while some have even fallen off their perches or out of the sky while flying.
Up to eight parrots a day have been taken to The Ark Animal Hospital in Palmerston by locals over the past few months.
One of the veterinary surgeons, Lisa Hanson, told The Times: ‘They act quite like a drunken person would.’
It’s not just the clumsiness that shows similarities to drunkenness either; Ms Hanson said other symptoms have also included ‘obnoxiousness’ and over excitement.
And just like after too many pints, the birds appear to experience a hangover of sorts, which includes headaches, tiredness and sadness, which can take months for them to recover, while some have even died.
The most likely cause is thought to be from an unknown substance the birds are eating – perhaps fermented nectar from a plant, Ms Hanson said.
Or it could be a mystery virus that is being passed around.
It’s not the first time the ‘drunken’ lorikeets have been spotted though and it seems to be a regular occurrence during the region’s wet season, between November and May.
More than 200 have been treated this year though, which is far greater than the usual number in past years.
The Ark Animal Hospital has been feeding the birds sweet porridge and fresh fruit to nurse them back to health before releasing them.
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