WA Wildlife reports rise in mysterious syndrome harming the State's iconic black swans
The not-for-profit organisation said it is treating an increasing number of black swans for a photosensitivity syndrome.
'Over the past few months, WA Wildlife has observed a notable increase in black swans presenting with a mysterious photosensitivity syndrome, particularly around the Swan River,' the Bibra Lake-based organisation wrote in a Facebook post on Monday.
'While we typically see just a handful of cases each year, we've treated over 20 swans in 2025 alone, most rescued by our friends at WA Seabird Rescue.'
The birds — which appear on the State's flag — have been suffering from painful symptoms.
The rescue centre said the cause of the syndrome is unknown, but claimed it could be linked to toxic exposure or liver dysfunction from environmental triggers. These factors increase the sensitivity of the skin to sunlight.
Fortunately, WA Wildlife said the majority of swans see improvement in their symptoms.
'Most birds recover well with dedicated supportive care, including pain management, wound treatment and time in UV-protected enclosures to prevent further damage,' it wrote.
According to the WA Wildlife website, the native wildlife hospital treats more than 6500 animals from 280 species each year.
Magpies across WA have also fallen victim to a mysterious syndrome, however, this particular disease is deadly.
It is estimated hundreds of thousands of the birds have suffered from magpie paralysis syndrome, also known as black and white bird paralysis, with cases rising in spring and summer.
CEO of WA Wildlife, Dean Huxley, said the mass deaths 'feel almost apocalyptic'.
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The Advertiser
11 hours ago
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'Looking at you, pleading': reported spike in cruel kangaroo killing grass
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Attempts were made to contact the Bendigo-based Wildlife Rescue Information Network. Last week, Dianne Becker walked to her front verandah and saw a kangaroo. Usually, they would never be so close. "I could walk right up to it and it didn't even move," she said. "It just looked like it was a bit drunk." When the kangaroo did move, it fell over. It was showing symptoms of phalaris grass poisoning - or "the staggers" - a neurological disease characterised by head tremors and loss of coordination. The condition is caused by eating a common introduced pasture grass, and this year rescuers are seeing much more of it. The introduced grass species is found in all states and territories except the Northern Territory. Two Victorian wildlife rescue groups have reported a spike in the condition, while residents in the town of Axedale, where phalaris grass is endemic, locals say it's the worst they've ever seen. 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Attempts were made to contact the Bendigo-based Wildlife Rescue Information Network. Last week, Dianne Becker walked to her front verandah and saw a kangaroo. Usually, they would never be so close. "I could walk right up to it and it didn't even move," she said. "It just looked like it was a bit drunk." When the kangaroo did move, it fell over. It was showing symptoms of phalaris grass poisoning - or "the staggers" - a neurological disease characterised by head tremors and loss of coordination. The condition is caused by eating a common introduced pasture grass, and this year rescuers are seeing much more of it. The introduced grass species is found in all states and territories except the Northern Territory. Two Victorian wildlife rescue groups have reported a spike in the condition, while residents in the town of Axedale, where phalaris grass is endemic, locals say it's the worst they've ever seen. Ms Becker, who has lived in Longlea on the outskirts of Bendigo for 11 years, said it's the first time she's ever seen the condition, which is caused by toxins in young phalaris grass shoots. "To see them in that state falling over - it's like they're looking at you, pleading, 'help me', and there's nothing that can be done," she said. According to the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action (DEECA), there is no known treatment for the disease in wildlife and severely affected animals are euthanised. The kangaroo Ms Becker saw was euthanised by a wildlife rescue worker, and since that incident she had seen at least one other animal with the condition. Down the road, Axedale woman Anne Buckingham said she had seen kangaroos with phalaris poisoning every day. She and her husband have euthanised some themselves. "My husband lived here in the 1990s and it's only been the last couple of years we've ever noticed this," she said. "We've now got to make sure that we don't let the dogs outside unless they're on a lead. "They will go chase the kangaroos and the kangaroos can't jump away from them." Ms Buckingham said she and her husband had discussed removing phalaris grass from their 30-acre property last year. "It would be a big expense to change the pasture and it wouldn't solve the problem unless everybody changed the pasture on all the other farms around," she said. Wildlife Victoria said they had encountered 289 cases of phalaris poisoning so far this year, already higher than reported cases in the past four years. Data provided by the organisation since 2022 shows a steady increase in reported cases, from 46 in 2022, up to 220 in 2024. "These incidents often increase during winter and periods of drought, as phalaris is a hardy grass that continues to thrive even when other grasses struggle to survive, forcing kangaroos to feed on it when food is scarce," a Wildlife Victoria spokesperson said. A 2024 veterinary paper said low average rainfall in early autumn was a seasonal predictor for high numbers of phalaris poisoning the following winter. Leonie Sorrentino, from Melbourne-based group The Wildlife Rescuers, said they were seeing adult male roos with the condition, when they would usually see only young kangaroos. She said phalaris poisoning hotspots include the Plenty Gorge and Sunbury near Melbourne. The 2024 paper also said cases had been reported in Seymour, Dartmoor and Axedale. "The joeys actually eat it when mum's leaning over," Ms Sorrentino said. "It's really heartbreaking to go out there and you just see them and they're so confused." Dr Tian Chen, from the University of Melbourne's Veterinary School, agreed this winter had been particularly bad for cases of phalaris grass poisoning and suggested the late drought was partially responsible. According to Dr Chen, if the grass experiences drought during autumn, when it is sprouting, it produces more of the alkaloid toxins that are responsible for the condition. Farmers prevent phalaris poisoning in livestock by spraying pasture with cobalt or administering cobalt supplements, but Dr Chen said current evidence indicates this doesn't work for kangaroos. "There could be a lot of reasons for that, which is still open for future studies, but [kangaroos] are very different in terms of anatomy," he said. A DEECA spokesperson said any suspected cases of wildlife toxicity poisoning should be reported to your local vet, wildlife welfare organisation or to DEECA. "On public land across Victoria, DEECA partners with Traditional Owners and government agencies to target invasive weeds, including Phalaris aquatica, using a range of techniques including herbicide spraying, slashing and ecological burning," they said. 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Ms Becker, who has lived in Longlea on the outskirts of Bendigo for 11 years, said it's the first time she's ever seen the condition, which is caused by toxins in young phalaris grass shoots. "To see them in that state falling over - it's like they're looking at you, pleading, 'help me', and there's nothing that can be done," she said. According to the Department of Environment, Energy and Climate Action (DEECA), there is no known treatment for the disease in wildlife and severely affected animals are euthanised. The kangaroo Ms Becker saw was euthanised by a wildlife rescue worker, and since that incident she had seen at least one other animal with the condition. Down the road, Axedale woman Anne Buckingham said she had seen kangaroos with phalaris poisoning every day. She and her husband have euthanised some themselves. "My husband lived here in the 1990s and it's only been the last couple of years we've ever noticed this," she said. "We've now got to make sure that we don't let the dogs outside unless they're on a lead. "They will go chase the kangaroos and the kangaroos can't jump away from them." Ms Buckingham said she and her husband had discussed removing phalaris grass from their 30-acre property last year. "It would be a big expense to change the pasture and it wouldn't solve the problem unless everybody changed the pasture on all the other farms around," she said. Wildlife Victoria said they had encountered 289 cases of phalaris poisoning so far this year, already higher than reported cases in the past four years. Data provided by the organisation since 2022 shows a steady increase in reported cases, from 46 in 2022, up to 220 in 2024. "These incidents often increase during winter and periods of drought, as phalaris is a hardy grass that continues to thrive even when other grasses struggle to survive, forcing kangaroos to feed on it when food is scarce," a Wildlife Victoria spokesperson said. 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According to Dr Chen, if the grass experiences drought during autumn, when it is sprouting, it produces more of the alkaloid toxins that are responsible for the condition. Farmers prevent phalaris poisoning in livestock by spraying pasture with cobalt or administering cobalt supplements, but Dr Chen said current evidence indicates this doesn't work for kangaroos. "There could be a lot of reasons for that, which is still open for future studies, but [kangaroos] are very different in terms of anatomy," he said. A DEECA spokesperson said any suspected cases of wildlife toxicity poisoning should be reported to your local vet, wildlife welfare organisation or to DEECA. "On public land across Victoria, DEECA partners with Traditional Owners and government agencies to target invasive weeds, including Phalaris aquatica, using a range of techniques including herbicide spraying, slashing and ecological burning," they said. Attempts were made to contact the Bendigo-based Wildlife Rescue Information Network.
7NEWS
a day ago
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