Would you poison a Bird of Prey? How Toxic Rat Poison is Killing Our Wildlife

The prospect of a rat or mouse infestation in our homes, lofts or garages is enough to make many of us feel a sense of disgust and dread. It makes sense that, if we discover a potential problem, we call in the experts or take care of it ourselves with poison. But the trouble is this poison is indiscriminate and is killing our wildlife. From birds of prey to barn owls, many of us are unknowingly killing the birds and animals we love via an agonising death.

Rat poisons such as Brodifacoum are anticoagulants. The animals that ingest it bleed internally and often suffer a long agonising demise. If another animal eats that animal – such as an owl eating a mouse – it will also cause the death of that owl. The poison will remain in the owl meaning if another animal, such as a fox, dog or bird of prey scavenges on the carcass it will also die. It takes ingestion from 5 animals for the poison to dissipate. This means that as well as wildlife, a well-loved family dog could ingest the poison and die horribly.

Businesses play a role too. The rules and regulations around food production aggravate the problem. Regulations mean that there is sometimes an unnecessary overuse of poison whereby individuals such as farmers, for example, hope to prevent a problem before it’s established to ensure they keep food standard verifications and survive as a business. This is completely understandable, but the effects can ravage wildlife. Regulations around food production need revision to be fair and realistic meaning no one feels forced to over-use poison to keep their head above water.

Ironically, overuse now means rodents are developing an immunity to poisons. So, the rodent lives and the population grows whilst killing any animal that eats them. Essentially, in the long term, poisons are making the problem worse. It's all utterly pointless. The legislation around rodent poisons needs to be changed to make it effective, less hysterical and less about short-term fixes that can cause long-term catastrophic problems.

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“On a personal level, there are things we can do to control vermin rather than use poison.”

On a personal level, there are things we can do to control vermin rather than use poison. Firstly, it’s important to remember that most gardens will have a small population of rats and mice visiting and they cause no problems – it’s completely normal and part of nature. Inherent historical hysteria around rats and their links to the plague means culturally we still have extreme reactions when we see a rat. However, to give us peace of mind and prevent infestations there are things we can do to minimise their presence.

The most effective method is to remove what is attracting the animal in the first place. This typically includes food, shelter, and nesting sites. By doing this you make your garden less interesting to them.

Steps you can take

Clear up any food such as pet food, spilt bird food or fallen fruit

• Feed birds in hanging feeders, not on a flat table
• Trim trees and bushes so they don’t provide an easy route to the feeder
• Add a baffle to your feeder pole to stop rodents from climbing it
• Keep composting in a secure compost bin
• Place all refuse in your wheelie bins
• Tidy up any overgrown areas which might be providing shelter
• Store compost, logs, coal etc in sturdy sealable containers

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If this doesn’t work, the next step is to take steps to deter the animals. To do this, you can offend their senses; taste, smell, hearing and sight.

Start with taste – add peppery products to your bird food. The birds can’t taste it, but rodents don’t like it. Then smell – use commercial deterrent products such as ‘Squirrel Away’, ‘Scoot’ or ‘Keep off My Garden’. Hearing – employ sonic deterrent devices or windchimes to create unpleasant sounds. And lastly with Sight – use brightly coloured wind spinners or CDs hanging from string to give random movements to spook the rodents.

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Keeping Rodents Out of Your Home

If you have concerns about rodents entering your home, there are also steps you can take. The most common entry points are where pipes enter your house or through broken air bricks.  The pipe holes can be covered with metal plates or filled with wire wool or expanding foam. Your air bricks can be covered with metal mesh such as the purpose-made ‘Mouse Mesh’. If rodents are tunnelling in your garden, the most effective way to stop them is to put a paving slab down in the area. Alternatively, shingle are harder for them to burrow into. Keeping your rubbish in a secure metal bin, and your food in the fridge or covered by a solid, secure cover means rodents are less likely to be enticed inside by smells.

However, if you need help with a rodent problem, some companies offer anon-poison approach, we recommend Humane Wildlife Solutions as a good first point of contact (details below). Together we can ensure the survival of the British wildlife we’re all so proud of.

Humane Wildlife Solutions www.humanewildlifesolutions.co.uk

Tel: 07771 361 226

“Together we can ensure the survival of the British wildlifewe’re all so proud of.”

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