Parrots high on drugs are irritating farmers by getting their fix so often it is damaging the poppy crops.
The parrots often sit perched in nearby trees as they wait for farmers to get distracted, they then swoop down to get their dosage from the poppy fields.
Some even pass out and even fall to their death. The morphine-rich area is infested by drug-addicted birds that have become a major problem to opium farmers.
The parrots swoop down silently into the opium fields after learning not to make sounds that call for attention. They then nibble off the stalks below the opium pod.
Once the farmers realize that they are in the fields, the birds retreat to high branches where they stay as others pass out and fall.
The incident was first reported back in 2015. This year it has spread across other regions. The farmers have been getting the warning from the Government's narcotics department.
The Government's narcotics department controls opium farming. The department has said that there are reduced yields. One of the opium farmers in India, Sobharam Rathod, said that the parrots are stealing around ten percent of his crop.
Rathod said that the parrots used to make sounds when in a group. However, that’s not the case anymore. They have become so smart that they don’t make any noise when they swoop on the fields.
He reports that the birds only make sounds when they are flying away.
The farmers reported that they have tried every trick possible to keep the birds off but the addicted birds keep coming back. They also said that as they keep an eye on the birds, they also keep an eye on the farmers.
The parrots swoop onto the fields as soon as the farmers lower their guard.
Parrots were reported in Chittorgarh in the state of Rajasthan back in 2015. However, this year, they have been found miles away in Neemach in the state of Madhya Pradesh.
Farmers reported that the number of birds raiding their fields are increasing with every passing year. This presents the farmers with a big challenge since they are supposed to hand over a pre-agreed quantity of produce to the state, which controls opium farming.
The parrots invade the farms around March and April when the seeds are cut by farmers. This exposes the latex which contains morphine.The latex is processed chemically to produce heroin.
Source:
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/parrots-flying-high-drugs-annoying-10073428
