Tragic Death of Bald Eagle by Poisoned by Lethal Rodenticides
We are heartbroken by the recent tragic and unnecessary death of yet another bald eagle in the greater Boston region. MK, the female of the first pair to nest in this area since eagles were decimated by DDT over 70 years ago, died from rodenticide poisoning last week.
This is now the third bald eagle poisoned by rodenticides in Massachusetts in two years––underscoring the critical need to ban these poisons as a means of pest control. Bald eagles were delisted in 2007 under the federal Endangered Species Act after their populations began to return due to the banning of DDT, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane, and concerted restoration efforts. They are still protected under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act and the federal Migratory Bird Treaty and Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Acts.
Lethal rodenticides, which are widely used, threaten not only raptors, but dogs, cats, and children. Crucially, the rodenticide that killed MK was banned for home use by the EPA specifically because of its threat to children and pets. Intended to kill rodents by preventing blood clotting, many of these poisons called second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides, or SGARs, are especially dangerous––as they act slowly and often have unintended victims when eagles, hawks, and owls eat poisoned prey.
These unintentional poisonings of wildlife and birds of prey are a growing problem, as lethal rodenticides are widely used by both licensed exterminators and ordinary property managers and homeowners. And ironically, as more wildlife like eagles, hawks, owls, foxes, coyotes, and more are poisoned, rat populations flourish by quick breeding as their natural predators are removed from the food web.
The Massachusetts legislature is considering a bill sponsored by Representative Hawkins and Senator Feeney (HD.577, SD.1144) that would mandate reporting when SGAR rodenticides are used on publicly-owned properties, like elementary schools, and require consideration of other pest management options to create a safer environment for all, animals and humans alike. CRWA supports these efforts in addition to a total ban on the use and sale of these types of lethal rodenticides.
“Massachusetts needs to ban the use of these lethal rodenticides and turn to more humane methods of pest control that don’t kill pets and wildlife, including bald eagles. We can and must do better,” says Jennifer Ryan, Deputy Director of Advocacy at the Charles River Watershed Association.
