Mystery as 'iconic' sound vanishes from Aussie city's streets
One of Australia's most iconic sounds is rapidly disappearing from the suburbs in the west of the country. A mystery illness has been infecting magpies in the region, and as they die, so too does their melodious call.
The scale of the problem across Perth and southwest Western Australia has caught frontline rescuers and disease experts by surprise. WA Wildlife became aware of the problem seven years ago, but there's been a surge in cases over the past five months. Hundreds have been assessed, with many too ill to survive crippling symptoms including limb paralysis and respiratory distress.
The group's CEO Dean Huxley told Yahoo News he's received dozens of reports of entire 'tribes' of magpies vanishing.
'In Willagee, which is a southern suburb, it used to be notoriously overrun with magpies, it was overpopulated. I've had several residents from Willagee say they haven't seen a magpie in months,' he told Yahoo News.
'But even in my local area, I've noticed three parks where I haven't seen the tribe at all. Areas where they used to be in overabundance are now they're quite scarce.'
Not only is Huxley concerned about the magpies; the presence of wildlife in cities is important for the well-being of humans.
'People just love magpies. And a high number of people have taken to social media to say they're devastated by the loss of their tribe. I think it's having a really negative impact on the community from a mental health perspective,' he said.
The disease has similarities to botulism and the mystery illnesses that paralyse and kill birds and flying foxes in the eastern states, but experts suspect the Western Australian disease could be caused by a separate pathogen.
A team led by Murdoch University wildlife health expert Dr Bethany Jackson had examined the bodies of 10 suspected victims of the disease. Inflammation of their brains and hearts suggests a virus, which could be spread by a vector like a mosquito or a tick.
The outbreaks occur during the warmer months, so as winter sets in, the researchers are running comprehensive and high-level tests, hoping to get closer to solving the mystery.
'After the massive increase over the last summer period, we decided to stop, go back to square one, and run every test we think is reasonable,' Jackson told Yahoo.
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Before next summer, Jackson hopes to have 'clues' as to its cause, or at the very least to have ruled out certain possibilities. A definitive answer likely isn't imminent, and another season's worth of high-quality samples will probably be needed for their strategic approach to bear fruit.
Aware of the public concern and determined to stop the carnage, the magpie syndrome is never far from Jackson's thoughts. Even when she returned home after a long day lecturing or working in the lab, she's reminded of the problem because the birds have disappeared from her own suburb.
'I think about it 24/7, because it's intellectually fascinating, and we see new things happening in wildlife with environmental change and urbanisation,' she said.
'But I also just really want to have answers for the public and for the people that work with the birds, because, it's very taxing and emotional for them.'
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