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.