Owls aren’t just cute creatures that say "whoooo" and whose illustrated likenesses wear graduation caps because they are wise.
They are an important species whose nocturnal habits and diets are particularly suited to forests on the edge of human habitation — i.e., these mostly solitary creatures eat rodents that humans don’t like.
We need owls to keep the rat population down, so using anti-coagulant pesticides to kill rats near our owl population is a bad idea. This is particularly true of condos located near green spaces where owls might live.
Already we’ve seen one casualty of secondary poisoning of an owl via rodenticide. There could be more we don’t know about in the Tri-Cities.
It’s true that rats can carry disease and they shouldn’t be around homes, businesses, restaurants, grocery stores, schools and anywhere else where people congregate — although they usually are. But as much as we hate rats, our efforts to get rid of them using poisons is putting our owl population at risk.
Rats were introduced to North America via humans and have proliferated because of the bountiful buffet we lay before them in food sources; as well, they like to live like we do, in warm places safe from predators.
The abundance of rats and concerns about disease require that we limit them but naturalists are calling for methods other than secondary anticoagulant rodenticides such bromodialone and other products because those not only kill the rat but the pesticide stays in the body of any animal that eats rodents — animals such as owls.
Last year, as many as 40 dead or dying owls were brought to the OWL Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre, with rat poison identified as the cause of death.
Those concerned about the use of rodenticide should consider other methods to get rid of rats, such as snap traps, electrocution and C02 canisters. We can also work to eliminate their food sources and close off cracks and crevices where rats can live.
If you have to use these poisons, use them only when necessary. It’s time we gave a hoot about secondary poisoning of our raptor population.
Your local owls will think that is a wise approach.
