Lorikeet paralysis still a mystery

By Tim Howard

The mystery affliction that paralyses rainbow lorikeets has returned with a vengeance in the Clarence Valley and caused veterinarians and wildlife carers to be overwhelmed with requests to help.

The severity of the outbreak has prompted Animal rescue services WIRES and and community services provider Livable in Grafton to set up a central hub for care and recovery of the birds at 8 Kemp St, Grafton.

Livable, local volunteer Robyn and WIRES will maintain the centre for the next two weeks for people to drop in any sick lorikeets they find.

As of last week an estimated 1000 lorikeets with the disease had been brought to WIRES and local vets, who have been the primary drop off point.

He said the best thing to do for anyone who finds a sick bird was to catch it with a towel and put it into a box and take it to the sick lorikeet drop off in Kemp St, or take it a vet that sees birds or at least call the clinic first.

In response to the disease, Sydney University has set up a citizen science project to uncover the cause of the disease.

Lead researcher Professor David Phalen said the source of the problem remained a mystery.

“Now, our best hypothesis is that the cause of LPS is a toxin the that lorikeets are exposed to during the warmer months of the year,” he said.

“Most likely it’s an ingested toxin, possibly associated with eating decomposing fruit. This, however, is not proved.

“None the less, we are encouraging people to pick up fallen fruit from trees in their yard and placing it in a covered bin until it can be disposed of.

“We are also encouraging people to make sure that their compost bins and piles are covered so that birds cannot get access to them.”

Sydney University has a large research group looking into the cause of LPS, but is looking for more citizen scientists to help on the project.

“We require citizen scientists within the designated study site to report observations on iNaturalist of what plant species/food sources the rainbow lorikeets were observed feeding on,” he said.

“Our objective is to collect as many observations as possible from citizen scientists living within southern Queensland and northern NSW area about the plant species wild to ducks, saying the symptoms, were similar, but more likely to come from botulism exposure. rainbow lorikeets are feeding on.

“This will assist as in identifying what plants or other food sources researchers should sample and test in further studies.”

But researchers have played down fears the disease has spread

“The signs that lorikeets exhibit with LPS are virtually identical to the signs of botulism poisoning in waterfowl,” Prof Phalen said.

“We have not found a connection between botulism exposure and LPS yet, but we continue to do some testing.”

He said botulism in ducks occurs during this time of the year and it is very likely that the ducks that are showing signs similar to LPS, have been exposed to botulism toxins.He said there is good information ion botulism in a fact sheet on botulism on the Wildlife Health Australia’s website.

He was duck owners to ensure that they don’t have access to compost heaps or any other sources of maggots.

“Maggot growing on the carcasses of other ducks or other animals can concentrate the botulism toxins,” he said.

“Certain water bodies also can develop the right conditions for botulism outbreaks and pet ducks should be kept away from ponds and wetlands for the time being.

The university website warns LPS is afflicting wild rainbow lorikeets that causes the birds to become paralysed and unable to fly.

This disease is seasonal, occurring between October and June, with the highest number of cases happening between December and February.

The sick birds require intensive care followed by long-term rehabilitation, wearing on the resources of both veterinarians and wildlife carers.

The seasonality of the disease suggests a blooming/fruiting period of the toxic plant that occurs during October to June.

The distribution of the locations where lorikeets are found is not random, suggesting that if a toxic plant is the cause of LPS, the plant occurs in some areas but not others.

The university wants to recruit citizen scientists to gather data.

If you live within the study site and are interested in the project, you can find out how at this site: https://www. sydney.edu.au/science/ our-research/researchareas/veterinary-science/ lorikeet-paralysissyndrome-project/ submit-your-observation. html

For more information on what to do if you find a paralysed lorikeet, contact WIRES at 1300 094 737.