Rat poison plays a dangerous role in the ecosystem as it affects the predators that prey on these rodents. If you use rat poison in and around your home, your pets may be at risk too.
The Urban Caracal Project has highlighted the dangers of rat poison, which affects owls, caracals, honey badgers, large-spotted genets, Cape clawless otters, water mongoose and other predatory species.
Rat poison is commonly used around commercial properties, residential homes and vineyards, the Urban Caracal Project explained. If a rat consumes anticoagulant poison, it will take around 10 days to die.
The poisoned rodent will behave unnaturally and wander from safety, making it an easy target.
In a Facebook post, the organisation said: ‘A study we published last year showed rat poison exposure in 6 predatory species. When testing caracals across the Cape Peninsula, we found 92% were exposed, including an adult male caracal in Cape Point But that doesn’t mean he was exposed in Cape Point- just that he was exposed somewhere across his large territory.
‘Surprisingly, even Cape Clawless otters were exposed…although they only very rarely eat rodents. That means that there is likely contamination of fresh water systems via runoff during rains.’
The post continued: ‘But, you can make a difference by not using poisons. The first line of defense should always be to remove rodent attractants, such as food and water sources outdoors (e.g., bird seed), seal holes in your homes or use mechanical traps or zappers. It’s also important to understand that if you see a rat outside your home, that does not mean that you have a rat problem inside your home.’
Wild animals are found all around South Africa and so rat poison is a serious threat to their survival. The Urban Caracal Project notes that poison should be used as a last resort if all other methods of control have failed.
Image credit: Getaway Gallery
