Tiny birds mysteriously falling out of trees in Australia. 'Bleeding, disoriented, paralytic...'

Birds are mysteriously falling out of trees in New South Wales, Australia, raising fears that they have been poisoned. The birds are either turning up dead or are in a critical state. New South Wales Environment Protection Authority said that they saw the corellas falling out in the Newcastle, Carrington and Hamilton areas on Monday and an investigation has been launched.

More than 60 birds had to be euthanised by a vet because of being in extreme distress. The birds were found bleeding and disoriented. The birds were spotted in several parts of the area - in parks, shopping centres, on ovals and in front yards. Several of the birds suffered from paralysis and were unable to fly.

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Corellas are like small cockatoos and are known to damage farms and orchards. They are seen as a major menace by the farmers can also and sometimes damage even buildings.

Outcry over suspected mass poisonings

Suspecting foul play, Jason Gordon, the Environment Protection Authority’s executive director of regulatory operations, said it is completely unjustified to deliberately poison the birds. “The misuse of pesticides, whether deliberate or unintentional, is completely unacceptable and carries heavy penalties,” he said.

Hunter Wildlife Rescue also believed that the birds were poisoned. The distressing situation is unfolding in several places in the region.

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“They are all over the neighbourhood. We are getting calls from members of the public who are finding them in their front yards, they are being found on ovals,” Kate Randolph, head of the organisation, was quoted as saying by the Independent. “Everyone’s working together. It’s a heartbreaking situation.”

Mass poisoning has emerged as a common cause among several experts in the case. Dr Tania Bishop, a vet with Australia’s largest wildlife rescue organisation Wires is also on the same page. She told the Guardian that toxicology tests are being done but the results identifying potential poisons could take weeks.

“Testing will include ruling out bird flu and inspecting impacted locations for evidence of potential pesticide misuse,” the Environment Protection Authority said.

The incident has caused anger among people who are hurt to see the birds in such a condition. A practitioner at the Hamilton Veterinary Clinic told the Newcastle Herald that the birds are "in agony" and that he had never seen anything like this in his 13 years there.