Parrots in India: An Unexpected Addiction Story

Since 2015, poppy farmers in India have been dealing with a surprising new challenge: drug-addicted parrots.

Poppies aren't just beautiful flowers used for seeds in pastries like hamantaschen—they are also the plant from which opium is derived. Recently, wild parrots in western India have discovered the wonders of opium. Each day, they perch on tree branches next to poppy fields, waiting for the first chance to swoop down on the flowers. They've learned to act quickly: they swarm to the flowers, take swift bites, and then return to the trees, where they nap for hours, so intoxicated that sometimes they fall to their deaths from the trees.

No one knows why parrots are so drawn to opium, but this new addiction not only endangers the lives of parrots in India, it also greatly complicates the lives of poppy farmers. Indian law requires each farmer to contribute a yearly tax: a fixed amount of opium from their fields for medicinal use. Since the parrots consume the opium so quickly, farmers' profits are heavily impacted.

Farmers claim they've tried everything to keep the parrots away from the poppy fields: banging on metal drums, throwing stones, and even using fireworks. So far, nothing deters the addicted parrots from their goal. It seems the Indian government might soon have no choice but to open a rehab program for these winged creatures.