Record number of lorikeets and flying foxes hospitalised in South-East Queensland with mystery illness

ABC NEWS (Australia)

A record number of lorikeets and flying foxes have been hospitalised with a mystery illness in South-East Queensland. Experts believe it could be caused by a toxin in the animals' food source, but they haven't yet figured out what it is.

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00:00Wrapped in a soft blanket with a dummy for comfort, five-week-old orphans, Flower, Rex

00:09and Raja, are receiving round-the-clock care after losing their mothers to a mystery illness.

00:15We don't know what's causing it. What we seem to see is that it's not a virus because they

00:20can't seem to pass it on.

00:23Thousands of lorikeets and adult flying foxes across south-east Queensland and northern

00:28New South Wales are getting sick or dying from a paralysis syndrome. The disease is

00:34seasonal with the highest number of cases occurring between December and February.

00:40The disease is very terrible. The affected animals do suffer. They're unable to drink

00:43or eat and they're on the ground so they're exposed to trauma or predation by other species.

00:49Researchers are trying to determine whether it's caused by a toxin found in the animal's

00:53food source, but there's still a lot they don't know.

00:57Certainly the clinical signs that we see are very consistent with botulism in other

01:01species, but the way that these birds and flying foxes are being exposed is very novel

01:06and we're really trying to work out what's going on there.

01:09RSPCA Queensland admitted nearly 8,000 lorikeets and 1,000 flying foxes to hospital in 2024.

01:17Many were also cared for by wildlife volunteers.

01:20Right now we're experiencing a lot of burnout with our carers as well. It's been so hard.

01:25Experts believe changing weather patterns such as high heat and humidity is making the

01:30situation worse and fear high death rates year on year could eventually start impacting

01:38other wildlife.

01:40So if we continue to lose really large numbers of these individuals then we're losing the

01:44important pollination and seed dispersal services that they provide.

01:48Animals with milder cases have a good chance of recovery. Anyone who finds a sick flying

01:54fox shouldn't touch them, but along with injured lorikeets is urged to contact the RSPCA or

01:59nearest wildlife carer.

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