Protecting Our Wildlife

Are you poisoning wildlife and pets?

Every day, wildlife and pets are in danger of being poisoned when homeowners, businesses or exterminators choose to use anticoagulant rodenticides, also known as rat poisons, to control rodents.

Nature's Pest Control Experts

Rats, mice, and other small animals play a critical role in the ecosystem as food for many animals and as seed dispersers for trees and plants. Using poison to kill rodents has the long-term effect of INCREASING the rodent population since the poison kills off the rodents’ natural predators, such as owls, allowing the rodents to breed unchecked.

By using safer rodenticides and preventative measures, we can keep rodents out of our homes and businesses, protect our pets and keep the rodents in the wild where they belong.

The Truth about Rat Poisoning

Despite the claims of the pest control industry, there is no such thing as a “safe” rat poison. Dozens of scientific studies have found rat poisons are present in the tissues of a wide variety of wildlife, including owls.

Rat poison also kills dogs and cats. Rat poison leads to a painful death for all animals who are exposed to it, whether they consume the poison directly or eat the flesh of a poisoned animal. Rat poison (rodenticide) kills the very wildlife that helps us control rats and mice.

Death by Poison

Rat poison is often used in bait stations, those shoebox size black boxes you see around buildings and dumpsters. The rats and mice do not die inside the stations but after eating the bait, they go back into the wild and can take more than a week to die. Weakened from internal bleeding, poisoned rodents become toxic ticking time bombs for any animal who preys on them.

All types of rodent poison can sicken and kill wildlife and pets.

Rodent Proof Your Home or Business

• Keep trash bins tightly closed, clean up refuse; remove pet food, spilled birdseed and fallen fruit.
• Seal cracks and crevices leading into your home. Use ¼-inch metal mesh, not chicken wire, to block entry points.
• Trim foliage and tree limbs at least 2 feet away from sides and roofs of houses.
• Use snap traps or electronic zappers to catch any rodents remaining indoors.
• NEVER use glue or sticky traps – they kill songbirds and other non-target wildlife. Attract owls to your property with a nest box- a single owl can catch 1,400 rodents a year!
• If you need to hire a professional, only hire exterminators who do not use anticoagulant rodenticides and who use and are trained in integrated pest management. IPM works to permanently exclude rats by rodent proofing your home.