I’d just left home for a late-day walk when I came upon a squirrel in the middle of the road having a seizure. It was horrifying — for both of us. I ran back into my house, frantically went online to find a local wildlife rehabilitator, scooped the suffering squirrel into a box, and drove (too fast) to the Leyden Center for Wildlife Rehabilitation. It was already dark but Amelie met my car, grabbed the box, and ran with it. I drove home (slower) and watched her Facebook posts to see that she was able to keep the squirrel alive for two days, but then it died.

That’s when I learned about second generation anticoagulant rodenticides, or SGARs.

SGARs are put in bait boxes outside to attract rodents in order to kill them. But the poison doesn’t kill the rodents immediately; it works slowly and makes them weak and vulnerable. So hawks, owls, eagles, foxes, coyotes, opossums, bobcats, snakes, and other predators easily snatch the poisoned rodents to feed themselves and their young. Think about that for a minute.

Predators are dying because their means of survival, their food, is being poisoned.

These “anticoagulant” poisons interfere with animals’ blood clotting ability, which can lead to excessive bleeding and ultimately fatal hemorrhage.

SGARs bioaccumulate: they keep building up in the animals’ systems, killing sometimes slowly and sometimes quickly. Kathy Gaynor at Urban Wildlife Rehabilitation in Westfield, reports that they are increasingly seeing animals poisoned by SGARs, many of which die, “including [this] 3.5-pound bobcat kit who passed within 24 hours in my arms.”

Laura Keisel, executive director of Save Mass Wildlife, reports on Facebook about testing dead and dying raptors: “For months and months and months — EVERY. SINGLE. ANIMAL. tested not only was exposed to ARs [anticoagulant rodenticides], but was exposed at astonishingly high amounts far into what is presumed lethal level.”

SGARs kill the natural solution to the rodent problem. Using an SGAR bait box to kill rodents is like using a bug zapper to kill mosquitoes — it attracts moths and other insects too and there’s a never-ending supply to attract and kill. Similarly, chipmunks, squirrels, and other small animals are victims of SGARs. And of course pet cats and dogs that eat poisoned animals also suffer SGARs’ lethal effects.

The problem is enormous because of the number of businesses, restaurants, and other institutions that hire pest control companies that rely on placement of bait boxes. If you look around, you’ll see them.

Here’s what we can do to reduce — and possibly eliminate — problems with unwanted rodents:

  • Support state legislation. The Senate version of the bill to phase out the use of anticoagulant rodenticides, An Act Restricting the Use of Rodenticides in the Environment (S.2721), is moving forward. The House version (H.965) is still under consideration.  
  • Sign this petition to the House Chair, Rep. Christine Barber (https://tinyurl.com/5bffwhse).
  • Contact your representative to let them know of your support for H.965 restricting rodenticides. They need to hear from their constituents whether or not they already support this bill. Get a link to your representative’s webpage, which includes a link to email them.
  • Discourage rodents by eliminating enticing foods like pet food and bird seed on the ground. Store animal feed in metal containers with tight-fitting lids. Pick up trash and keep it in securely covered bins.
  • If the problem is indoors, seal or cover with wire mesh any entryways including around pipes and cables. Steel wool works well. If you detect a rodent trail, use a non-toxic repellent like peppermint oil spray (just a few drops in water), cayenne pepper, or hot sauce.
  • Don’t use glue traps — they trap birds and other animals without killing them, causing immense suffering. Pets can be severely harmed, too.
  • Target rodents with non-poisonous methods like snap traps (only indoors but not in barns), contraceptives, dry ice, CO2. RatX and Vitamin D also can be used even though they’re toxic because they don’t transfer to predators.
  • Lists of non-poisonous ways to reduce nuisance rodents are available online including Mass Audubon (https://www.massaudubon.org/take-action/advocate/poison-free pest-control) and Raptors are the Solution (https://raptorsarethesolution.org/preferred-pest-control-products/).
  • If you need professional help, hire a wildlife control professional who doesn’t use poison. Ask about their methods and request a data sheet.
  • Help advocate for the reduction of SGAR use with Rescue Franklin County Wildlife
  • (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1988692708338603/).
  • Read this article by Ted Williams, a former information officer for the Massachusetts
  • Division of Fisheries and Wildlife: https://animalwellnessaction.org/lethal-loophole-in-americas-poison-laws/.

Spread the word!

Peggy Kocoras lives in Northfield.