Many reports, photos and anecdotes describe elephants in South Africa, among other southern African nations, becoming intoxicated from consuming fermented amarula fruit. For a more comprehensive presentation of intoxicated wildlife, see this humorous video titled African Animals Getting Drunk Off Ripe Marula Fruit below.
Now, Georgia’s birds join the dubious category of intoxicated creatures. According to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GDNR), “It’s that time of year when fruit-eating birds such as cedar waxwings and American robins often eat fruit that has started to rot and ferment.” Well known is that the production of alcohol is a byproduct of fermentation. As night follows day, when the birds eat the fermenting fruit, the birds become. As reported by the GDNR, an intoxicated bird “will lose much of their coordination and capacity to fly, causing them to crash into windows and other obstacles.” Presumably the birds are easier prey for cats and predators.
Lethal consequences from ingesting such fermenting food arise, such as “deaths due to “alcohol poisoning” if the birds eat sufficient quantities of the fermented fruit. Yet another “possible cause for drunken flying is Nandina (sacred bamboo) berries.” Often used in landscaping, Nandina “draws cyanide from the soil. As a result, the bright red fruit is often lethal.” The Georgia DNR intones that “we should learn from our feathered friends and consume fruits responsibly.” Being intoxicated is not for the birds.
