05/23/2023
Rodenticides don't discriminate. They kill not only the targeted rodent, but anything that eats that rodent or the bait itself will also succumb to the potent ingredients used in SGARS - Second Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticide poisons. These are the rodenticides that are over-used by the Pest Management Professionals for MOST rodent issues. It is what fills the countless bait boxes you now see lining every structure. This is the stuff that they are telling you is "safe", yet we hold scientific data proving how unsafe this concoction really is.
This baby red shouldered hawk, along with its sibling, are now without their adult father. He was found dead near the nest tree yesterday. No signs of external injury, but body evidence of internal bleeding, which is how these poisons kill. The adult will be submitted for testing, but in the meantime, we must consider the fact that the adults are hunting and bringing back food to their offspring. This particular couple has been actively nesting in this spot for four consecutive years. The remaining adult has no idea where her partner has gone. She will remain active trying to do the job of two hawks to get her babies to fledge and learn the ropes of the wild. How could the male have known that the meal he picked up had been poisoned? Did he feed the babies the same meal that killed him? We are monitoring the situation but our hearts are heavy once again as we can see the dangers of this poor choice method of rodent control, even in the hands of the so called "professionals" who load those boxes and line our structures all while telling customers that there is no secondary effect on our wildlife. Even in the face of SCIENCE, the lies continue to be told and our own State Legislators have failed to take this evidence and ban these deadly ingredients from our State. SGARS have four ingredients and each one alone is enough to kill whomever ingests it. It does not discriminate. It does not matter your size, it kills after one feeding/dose. It is that potent. No, the victim does not die at the bait station. It takes 2-10 days to succumb to the poisons. As your body becomes sluggish, your brain foggy, you become clumsy and slow as you hemorrhage internally. If you are a prey animal, you become an easy target for a hungry predator. This time of year, those hungry predators are feeding entire families. This is TRAGIC and must stop. BAN SGARS statewide.
