Birds of prey in Massachusetts getting sickened by rodenticide - here's how to protect wildlife
WEYMOUTH - A red-tailed hawk is fighting for its life in Massachusetts, the latest predatory bird to fall victim to ingesting a controversial rodenticide.
Birds of prey exposed
The poison has been killing various birds for months, and prompted several pushes to ban the rat deterrent.
"From information gathered from published studies, we assume that at some point in their life, every potential animal, bird of prey is exposed at some point," said Dr. Priya Patel, Medical Director for the New England Wildlife Center, where the hawk is being treated.
The hawk was found on a stoop, and veterinarians think it collided with the building. The animal showed extensive trauma and bruising, but there were no fractures on x-rays. The images led Patel to believe it may have ingested a rodent that consumed a second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide, also known as an SGAR.
"When these birds get exposed to these SGARs they bruise and bleed much more easily from a minor, minor wound of infliction," explained Patel.
Blood struggles to clot
The animal's blood struggles to clot as their red blood cells rapidly decrease. Patel said when they drew blood from the hawk, it took more than two hours for the blood to clot. Typically the blood of a healthy bird will clot in less than five minutes. More often than not, the exposure can prove deadly.
"It all depends on how much toxin they ingested, and how quickly they get into veterinary care," explained Patel.
Other ways to combat rodents
She said a recent Tufts study showed 100% of the birds they tested had been in contact with the poison, and not always just one but multiple SGARs. Patel said companies are adding various types of SGARs into poisons as animals become immune to previous versions.
On Thursday, the Mass Audobon Society lost a great horned owl from ingesting an SGAR in Belmont.
"Education is probably the best thing we can do to reduce the amount of SGARs that are being put into the environment. There are other non-toxic ways like snap traps," said Patel. "These toxins last in the environment for decades, so what does that do to the human environment."
