We were thrilled with the turn out on Wednesday 20 May for Landcare Tasmania's first live online talk and forum on rodent poisons and their impacts on birds of prey.
Watch the whole session here!
Thank you to all those who joined us, asked questions and shared information about this important subject.
This first Landcare Tasmania Webcast was held on Zoom, featuring a presentation by Nick Mooney on the effects of over-the-counter rodent poisons on birds of prey. The presentation was followed by a Q & A session with Nick Mooney, Bonorong vet Dr. Alex Kreiss and owl expert Adam Cistern, answering a wide range of questions on rodent poisons and what we know about their impact on raptors and other predators. For more than 40 years Nick has studied the impact of changes in landscapes and peoples’ attitudes on wildlife. Nick was a keynote speaker at our 2019 Conference, on rodenticides and their impacts on raptors.
Some useful links that were shared during the talk:
- Rodenticides Community Awareness Program, with research documents and the papers mentioned by Nick Mooney at the bottom of the page
- Get rat poison out of birds’ food chain petition and helpful rodent information
"What can I do?"
After watching the Q & A session, you may be wondering what you can do. The main points include:
Use manual traps
Use lower impact poisons
"But how do I know which is which?"
Fortunately, most SGARs are clearly labelled “single dose action” and you can check the label for the active ingredients.
SGARs (more toxic) - Brodifacoum, Bromadioline
FGARs (less toxic) - Warfarin, Coumateralyl
Remember: No poison is completely safe, so use poison as a last resort.
Better prepare your facilities
Educate others
Landcare Tasmania's Rodenticide Community Awareness Program
Landcare Tasmania is running a program to raise awareness of the positive choices that communities and businesses can make to reduce the impact of rodenticide poisons on raptors. The program officially launched in March 2020 and is supported by Birdlife Australia's Twitchathon and Keep Tassie Wild.
The program is being expanded with funding from the Communities Environment Program in the Franklin and Clarke electorates. Once it is safe to gather again in our communities, keep your eyes out for public info sessions in your area - planned for the 5 top owl urban avian predator hot spots in these electorates: Mountain River, Allens Rivulet, South Hobart, Taroona and Mount Rumney.
Download our Rodenticide Community Awareness Program Flyer
Donate to help us raise awareness