200 Parrots Fall From the Sky in Australia, Suffer From Mysterious Illness

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Andrew Mercer (www.baldwhiteguy.co.nz))
200 Parrots Fall From the Sky in Australia, Suffer From Mysterious Illness

Over the past week, over 200 parrots fell from the sky, which left scientists baffled. According to reports, the birds were plagued with a mysterious illness.

Parrots Falling From The Sky

The Australian State of New South Wales witnessed dozens of rainbow lorikeets falling from the sky. They were then transferred to wildlife care facilities. The vibrant parrots were discovered to be afflicted with lorikeet paralysis syndrome (LPS), an enigmatic ailment for which doctors are unsure of the etiology.

As the name implies, LPS paralyzes the birds, causing them to fall from the skies because they cannot fly. According to the University of Sydney, scientists have not been able to identify a bacterium or environmental toxin that is the source of the illness.

Only during Australia's summer, from October to June, does it appear to influence the birds; December, January, and February experience the biggest impacts. It may take a long time and a lot of work to bring thousands of birds back to health.

"A lot of them don't make it because when they come in, they are underweight and malnourished and very sick birds," Robyn Gray, the Clarence Valley avian coordinator for the Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service (WIRES), told local news ABC North Coast.

"We've got professors in Sydney, Currumbin and Australia Zoo, Sydney Uni, all testing them and no one can really give a definitive answer."

Over 80 of the 1,500 lorikeets she lost to the sickness during the summer four years ago are now under her care.

The disease was identified in 2010 between the 425-mile-south cities of Grafton, New South Wales, and Bundaberg, Queensland, and it appears to harm only birds.

About 1,500 lorikeets died due to the disease four years ago during summer. At present, 80 birds are recovering.

The disease was identified in 2010 between the 425-mile-south cities of Grafton, Bundaberg, and Queensland, New South Wales. It reportedly only affects birds.

ALSO READ: Man From Florida Finds Himself Surrounded by Alligators While Exploring Everglades National Park

What Is a Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome?

Lorikeet Paralysis Syndrome (LPS) is a sickness that causes paralysis and incapacity to fly in wild rainbow lorikeets (Trichoglossus haematodus). Seasonal in nature, this illness strikes between October and June, with December and February seeing the greatest number of occurrences. As a result, thousands of rainbow lorikeets are placed in care every year in northeastern New South Wales (NSW) and southeast Queensland.

The initial acute care and long-term rehabilitation needed for rainbow lorikeets with LPS tax the resources of both wildlife caregivers and veterinarians.

Research has not been able to pinpoint an infectious pathogen or man-made toxin as the cause of lipopolysaccharide syndrome (LPS).

But now, scientists consider that consuming a deadly plant that grows in northern New South Wales and southern Queensland could be the source of LPS.

The disease's seasonality indicates that the poisonous plant blooms or fruits from October through June. The non-random distribution of lorikeet locations suggests that if a hazardous plant is the source of LPS, it is present in certain regions but not others.