Mystery as 'drunk' parrots litter Australian town

Hundreds of seemingly drunk parrots are falling out of trees and the sky in a northern Australian town, mystifying veterinary surgeons who are struggling to care for them. The brightly coloured lorikeets are showing classic signs of drunkenness by losing all coordination and passing out, and then cowering in cages as they recover from their hangovers.

They definitely seem like they're drunk, said Lisa Hansen, a veterinary surgeon at the Ark Animal Hospital in Palmerston, near Darwin. They fall out of trees... and they're not so coordinated as they would normally be. They go to jump and they miss the next perch.

Hansen said nobody was sure what was causing the symptoms, although it may be a plant they are eating. Other theories include an outbreak of a mystery virus. She said the hospital, which is seeking donations, was caring for about 30 birds at a time with eight arriving each day after being scooped up from lawns and roadsides.


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