Rat poison is killing our beloved native owls and tawny frogmouths – and that’s the tip of the iceberg

Thu, 28 Sep 2023 19:34:23 +1000

Andrew Pam <xanni [at] glasswings.com.au>

Andrew Pam
<https://theconversation.com/rat-poison-is-killing-our-beloved-native-owls-and-tawny-frogmouths-and-thats-the-tip-of-the-iceberg-212184>

"There’s nothing quite like having a rodent problem in your home. Most people
will do anything to get rid of them.

Australians usually reach for rat poison, without a second thought. Most of
these poisons – sold at supermarkets and hardware stores – are
“second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides” (SGARs) also known as
single-dose anticoagulants. These extremely powerful poisons stay in the body
for many months. It takes only a single feed to kill a rodent, usually within a
week.

With the rodent problem solved, our house is once again our castle, and all is
well. Right?

Unfortunately, use of rat poison is leading to the wide-scale poisoning of
Australia’s nocturnal predatory birds, including the crowd favourite tawny
frogmouth and Australia’s largest owl, the majestic powerful owl. Our new
research reveals the alarming extent of the problem."

Cheers,
       *** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net               Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/                 Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/            Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/               Manager, Serious Cybernetics

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