'High as a Kite' Wallabies Draw Circles in Poppy Fields

It raises concerns about crop safety in Tasmania
By A Ali,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 25, 2009 1:07 PM CDT
'High as a Kite' Wallabies Draw Circles in Poppy Fields
Wallabies have been eating the poppy heads and getting high in Tasmania.   (Wirrimbirra Flora and Fuana Sanctuary)

Crop circles popping up in Australia aren’t the work of extraterrestrial visitors, but of stoned wallabies, Livenews reports. Marsupials have been breaking into poppy fields—which supply 50% of the world’s opium to pharmaceuticals—and munching on the crops. Then, “high as a kite,” they spin in circles until they crash, says Tasmania’s attorney general, vowing to review licensing policies and protect the drugs.

“There have been many stories about sheep that have eaten some of the poppies after harvesting and they all walk around in circles,” says a grower. “But as growers we try our best to try and stop this sort of consumption, particularly by livestock, due to concerns about the contamination of the meat.” (More Tasmania stories.)

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