Over the past few weeks, hikers discovered two dead fox carcasses, untouched, in property preserved by the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy (AFC) in Millard Canyon in Altadena. Another hiker observed a bobcat walking in circles, seemingly catatonic.

At AFC’s Rosemont Preserve, a dead rat was found, belly up in the middle of the trail, untouched and undoubtedly full of poisons toxic to the bobcat kitten recently photographed on the Preserve. What do these events have in common?  Probably rat poison.

While some folks might think that it’s a good indicator of how effective the poison is, it is actually dangerous to pets and other wildlife.

Living on the edge of urban sprawl in Los Angeles inevitably means dealing with the wild critters that called the area home before people did. But using anticoagulant rodenticide poison to control the rodent population around residents’ homes can expose pets – both of residents and their neighbors – and local wildlife to this deadly poison.

Rodents that consume this poison don’t die immediately. They carry the toxin in their bodies for up to 10 days before they die. Many times they are eaten before that time and whatever eats them eats the poison as well. The poison can slow down animals that ingest it, making them easy prey for a dog or cat to catch and eat. Natural predators, such as foxes, bobcats, hawks, owls and coyotes, always appreciate an easy meal, too. The poison then works its way up the food chain, affecting larger predators such as bears and mountain lions. So using the poison is actually counterproductive, as it kills the very predators that keep the rodent population in check – without them, the rodents will thrive.

P-22, the “Hollywood” mountain lion, was a victim of rodenticide back in 2014. National Park Service workers tested P-22 when they captured him for a routine collar check and discovered he had mange caused by ingesting rodenticide. They were able to treat him and he survived, but many other animals are not as lucky … such as two foxes and a bobcat in Millard Canyon this summer and the rat at Rosemont.

There are many things that can be done to discourage visitors of the rodent persuasion: securing trash, removing debris and thick vegetation around homes and securing animal food and compost piles. Those who do have rodents can use snap or electrical traps to catch them.

To learn more about the effects of rodenticide and how to avoid rodent problems around the home, visit the National Park Service information page at: https://www.nps.gov/samo/learn/management/take-action-against-anticoagulant-rodenticides.htm.  

To learn more about the Arroyos & Foothills Conservancy, visit www.arroyosfoothills.org.