"A single owl family can kill 8,000 rodents each year."

"But there are also particular conservation problems for owls. As predators, often of rodents, owls are susceptible to the accumulation of persistent pesticides (notably anticoagulant rodenticides such as brodifacoum) that we use to control rats and mice around our houses or more extensively for rodent plagues in crops."

"In Australia, we are profligate in our use of such chemicals and lax in our regulation of them. Secondary poisoning of owls is thus common. One study from Western Australia detected anticoagulant rodenticides in 72% of boobook owls found dead or moribund."

"During recent Australian mouse plagues, the New South Wales government sought an emergency permit to make available large quantities of the rodenticide bromadiolone. This poison is known to have cumulative impacts across food chains, particularly to predators such as owls. Its proposed use was ultimately quashed by the Commonwealth regulatory agency, largely because of such concerns."

https://theconversation.com/spooky-stealthy-night-hunters-revealing-the-wonderful-otherworld-of-owls-209498
#pesticides #regulation #anticoagulant #rodenticides #brodifacoum #FoodChain #owls #birds

We've been talking about #rodenticides this week. As a means of control it causes a particularly long and cruel death there's no excuse for - please read ^GC

This is the second in our series of posts on #rodenticides We thought it would be useful if there's to be a conversation about there uses, it would be helpful to say say what we're talking about ⬇️ ^GC

This is the first in our series of posts on #rodenticides There are less harmful ways to protect farm lands and other public spaces - stay tuned! #animalwelfare #animals ^GC

We've spoken out a lot recently on #fireworks and #skylanterns Please check back here tomorrow (Wednesday) just after 10am as we begin the first in a series of posts about another of our campaign priorities - stopping the use of #rodenticides ^GC

Later today - the Summer Series of the best conversations from the #birdemergency #livestreams - today at 12.30pm Aust. Eastern Daylight Time, the conversation I had with Holly Parsons from Birdlife Australia and Dr. Maggie Watson from Charles Sturt University, about the safer use of #rodenticides and minimising the impacts on native #wildlife, especially #birds #owls #raptors. #birdsinbackyards #wildoz
I will be live in studio, reacting to chat and comments.
https://thebirdemergency.com/live