~Wildlife education~
Rat poison works its way up the food chain. Rats and other rodents that ingest poisons become lethargic and are easy prey for larger predators. The predators become sick or die after eating the rodents.
An owl with a rodent in its mouth.
BC has banned the widespread sale and use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs), which risk the secondary poisoning of animals who consume poisoned rodents. The anticoagulants in the rodenticides thin the blood and prevent it from clotting, causing rodents to die from internal bleeding. They have the same lethal effect on other animals. Exposing animals to poisoned bait and prey is how rat poison is injuring and killing owls and other BC wildlife.
If you have a rodent problem, use alternatives to poison such as “Catch & Release”. Or if you hire a pest control company to help you deal with the problem, please ask them to follow the BCSPCA's AnimalKind standards.
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