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have died from poisoning, according to biologists with the National Park
Service.
A study analyzing owls found dead in British Columbia and the
Yukon Territory showed that nearly three-quarters of the birds had
rodenticides in their livers.
Natural controls
"The sick and disoriented rodents become easy prey for a hungry
raptor that can consume six mice in one night," said Cynthia Palmer, the
pesticides program manager for the American Bird Conservancy. "By
killing owls and hawks, those who use these secondary poisons are
destroying nature's own rodent-control system."
The pesticide issue is huge in the Bay Area, where an estimated 10
million pounds of pesticides are used every year, much of it in
rodenticides. State and federal pesticide regulators have said that as many
as 15,000 children under age 6 are accidentally exposed to rat poisons
nationwide each year, a disproportionate number from lowincome
families.
Legal obligation
The Center for Biological Diversity co-filed a lawsuit in 2011
accusing the EPA of failing to prevent the pesticide poisonings of more
than 200 endangered and threatened species, including the California
condor. The plaintiffs alleged that EPA officials consistently ignored their
obligation under the Endangered Species Act to consult with the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service to determine whether pesticides being considered for
registration were harming listed species or their habitats.
The EPA is moving forward with its proposed rodenticide
restrictions, but the process is long and the pesticide companies are
fighting. With no state or federal regulations to fall back on, the San
Francisco Department of Environment began a "Don't Take the Bait"
program urging city businesses and residents not to buy or sell harmful rat
poisons, but the initiative has no teeth.
"It's been over a year now, and these products are still on the
shelves," Evans said. "It's time to stop the bleeding and pull these poisons
from the shelves."