Opium farms in the Madhya Pradesh state in India has been attacked by an unusual plague. Farmers have to look after their farms 24 hours a day for parrots who have a drug habit. Although it sounds like a joke, the problem is serious and the Indian economy suffers from the theft.
One poppy flower gives about 20-25 grams of opium. However, a large group of parrots feed on these plants from 30 to 40 times a day, and some even fly with poppy heads in the beak. Farmers have asked for help, but nobody has helped them yet. Field owners must deal with this alone. According to reports, farmers guard their fields day and night, but apparently nothing can stop the winged addicts. Parrots often wait for the farmers to cut off the poppy-heads, which reveals the rich poppy milk and morphine inside. In other cases, they bite off pieces of plants themselves and just fly away.
We tried to make loud noises, we even used fireworks to scare away birds. Nothing helps “- said Nandkishore, one of the farmers.
Opium is a huge business in Madhya Pradesh – 38 thousand. from 44 thousand hectares of Indian licensed poppy cultivation is there and in neighboring Rajasthan. However, the Neemuch district is not the only place that suffers because of the plague. Last year, local Indian media reported that parrots attacked poppy cultivation in some parts of Rajasthan, and in 2015 the districts of Chittorgarh and Pratapgarh also had a similar problem.
Pro-animal organizations also became interested in the matter. Stoned parrots collide with trees and branches or lie dazed on a nearby field. They fly away after coming to each other. Soon, however, they return for the next bop.
