Kyle Sandilands takes plight of WA magpies dying from deadly disease to airwaves of Kyle and Jackie O Show

Kyle Sandilands has joined the chorus of voices demanding more be done to save WA magpies, which are at risk of disappearing from suburban areas because of a deadly paralysis syndrome.

“It’s a national tragedy,” the country’s top radio host and Australian Idol judge said of the issue.

Sandilands took the plight of local magpies to the airwaves on Monday after learning about it through an article published in The Sunday Times and PerthNow.

“I love animals, so this stuck in my mind,” he told The Kyle and Jackie O Show’s global 1.2 million listeners.

“Thousands of magpies are . . . dropping dead.”

He added on Sydney’s top-rated breakfast show: “This isn’t some bird flu thing, this is a mysterious syndrome that they are calling magpie paralysis syndrome.

“The West Australian population are worried that their magpie population will be wiped out completely.”

West Australians have also been vocal in their support of the State’s magpies, with thousands engaging with the story on PerthNow and an influx of donations, some as high as $10,000, to WA wildlife centres.

WA Wildlife chief executive Dean Huxley estimated that the mystery paralysis syndrome had led to the death of thousands of birds across WA since it first emerged seven years ago.

While cases have been steadily rising each year, there has been a fivefold increase in recent months.

“It feels almost apocalyptic,” Mr Huxley said of the mass deaths.

“Recently I’ve heard so many stories of people saying they have had a particular tribe of magpies in their street for years or decades and now they are gone.

“And that’s not in one area, that’s in the wider Perth area.”

Wildlife centres across the State have been overrun with sick birds which have been brought in by members of the public.

At WA Wildlife’s hospital in Bibra Lake, more than 900 magpies have been admitted since August 2024, most suffering from paralysis syndrome.

WA Wildlife has now teamed up with Kanyana Wildlife, Native Animal Rescue and Darling Range Wildlife Shelter to form the Wildlife Rehabilitation Advisory Group of WA in order to take action on the issue.

“We had to take matters into our own hands because we are getting no support from the WA Government,” Mr Huxley said.

The deadly syndrome starts with paralysis of the feet, which then spreads up through the body.

“It’s absolutely horrible, the birds suffer and if they don’t receive treatment, they will die,” Mr Huxley said.

“We haven’t seen a single case where it resolves on its own.”

However, when caught early enough, the prognosis is good for magpies brought in for treatment.

“We have about a 60 per cent survival rate,” Mr Huxley said, adding that treatment can take between 10 days and two weeks.

At Murdoch University’s veterinary school, Bethany Jackson and a team of researchers are scrambling to find the cause of the paralysis.

While it was initially thought to be a form of botulism, further research has suggested it is unlikely.

“There is a lot about this even that doesn’t fit with a botulism event,” Dr Jackson said.

“So now we’ve gone back to square one to rule out everything.”

Dr Jackson said researchers were “throwing everything at” trying to find a cause that could lead to prevention and better treatment.

Mr Huxley and Dr Jackson called on the State Government to invest more money into research on the syndrome, as well as funding wildlife centres that rely on donations and volunteers to care and treat afflicted birds.

“Our running costs are in the tens of thousands every month and, like all wildlife organisations that work tirelessly to look after wildlife, don’t receive any government funding,” Mr Huxley said.

“State and Federal governments fund other animal charities, companion animals for example, and yet we don’t fund our endemic wildlife, which they leverage for tourism.

“I think that dynamic needs to change. And that change will come from pressure from the public that says, ‘We value our wildlife, we value our magpies and our bird song, and we expect some funding for the organisations that are trying to save them’.”

A Government spokesperson said that while magpies were a protected native species, they were not considered “endangered”.