The birds ate the fermented fruit and began to behave strangely. Some of them could not take off.

Residents of the Australian city of Broome complained about the invasion of drunken parrots who ate fermented mangoes.

It is noted that at the end of the mango season in the Kimberley region, fallen fruits were left to rot in the sun and fermented. 

They attracted red-winged parrots, which, after eating the sweet pulp, became very drunk. Despite the seemingly comical situation, it is quite serious, said veterinarian Paul Murphy from Broome Veterinary Hospital.

Many birds died due to the consequences of “drunkenness”.

“So far, we’ve seen about half a dozen in total, but there are a lot of them, unfortunately, that don’t make it to the clinic because they pass away before people find them. Usually, they’ve been suffering for a couple of days … They’re quite lethargic and at various stages of malnutrition. We’re hearing a few reports of flying into windows and sitting on the floor, not being able to fly and being vulnerable to cats and other predators,” he told ABC.

Parrots have a history of substance misuse. Farmers in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh complained in 2019 about ravenous birds pillaging their opium poppy harvests. It had gotten to the point where it was affecting their livelihoods.

A similar case occurred in the districts of Chittorgarh and Pratapgarh in 2015. Poppies have been observed to intoxicate parrots, causing them to smash into trees, branches, or lie disoriented on the ground in a neighboring field!

Image Credit: Getty

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