AVOID USING RODENTICIDES

In March 2014, the California State Department of Pesticide Regulation banned the use of the most toxic sort of rodenticides by the general public. The Environmental Protection Agency also initiated action to ban the use of d-Con rat poison products in 2014. The ban and previous regulatory attempts were primarily aimed at making the packaging safer to prevent accidental poisoning of children. This step by the EPA is an important one in terms of protecting our loved ones. At the same time, d-Con and other rodenticides are still widely available and create significant poisoning hazards for non-targeted wildlife. 

The rodenticides that are most toxic to wildlife other than the pests they are intended to kill are anti-coagulants, which work by causing the animal to bleed to death. With the first generation anticoagulants, the animals will usually die in their holes or burrows, out of reach of predators or scavengers. The most troubling of the poisons are the second generation anticoagulants, which do not result in immediate death, but can be eaten over several days. When the animal finally dies or is near death, the toxins have accumulated in the tissues and often the animal is outside its burrow, allowing predators and scavengers to easily capture and eat the poisoned carcass. The birds or mammals eating the poisoned rodents then in turn are killed by the poison and can be eaten by other animals. And on up the food chain it goes. Brand names which contain this second group of poisons include d-Con, Hot Shot, Generation, Talon, and Havoc.