California Law Restricting Rodenticides Began January 1st 2021

https://worldanimalnews.com/new-california-law-protecting-animals-from-super-toxic-rat-poisons-takes-effect-beginning-of-2021/

California's wildlife will be protected from the unnecessary toxic effects of rodenticides after a law heavily restricting them came into effect as of January 1st, 2021. The law heavily restricts the use of anticoagulant rodenticides and tasks state regulators with managing threats to non-target animals before any restrictions would be lifted on these rodenticides. This law will hopefully help to protect the many non-target animals that have endured the toxic effects of these rodenticides despite being unintended targets.

“Anticoagulants kill the very wildlife that help us control rats and mice. California is taking a giant step to reduce secondary poisoning and towards a sustainable public health solution,” said Lisa Owens Viani, Director of Raptors Are the Solution

The long-standing issue with the use of rodenticides was the indiscriminate poisoning of non-target species. Species like kit foxes, mountain lions, bobcats, hawks, and spotted owls, were suffering at the hands of rodenticides. Not only were these animals coming into contact with the rodenticides themselves, but they were experiencing second hand toxicity after consuming prey animals that had engaged with the poisons. 

These poisons sometimes take an extraordinary amount of time to finish a rodent off which leaves them susceptible to being attacked by predatory animals. These rodents are then attacked and consumed by predatory animals that then experience the toxicity of the rodenticides. This causes them unimaginable suffering that can last for days before ultimately killing them. As I've stated many times before, a healthy ecosystem requires a healthy amount of both predatory and prey animals to thrive, and if we are killing off the predatory animals, there will be an imbalance that affects the ecosystem.

Rodenticides are ineffective, indiscriminate, and extremely dangerous. When you consider that there are so many options available for managing rodent populations, there is simply no excuse for the continued allowance of rodenticides. As a quote earlier in this post pointed out, these rodenticides are killing the wildlife that is responsible for managing the rodent population which ultimately means they are working against their purpose. This in itself is proof that rodenticides are incredibly inefficient the ban is appropriate given the circumstances.

As I stated, rodenticides are dangerous, ineffective, and are killing wildlife that are necessary for a healthy, balanced ecosystem. California has made the right decision in heavily restricting these poisons. What we need now is a ban on these poisons across the board. It's time for a blanket ban on rodenticides.

HAPPY VEG