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May 20 (UPI) – The rat poison used to kill rats in Cape Town, South Africa, infiltrates the environment and harms local wildlife, including caracals, mongooses, otters and owls. .
Scientists from the University of Cape Town measured levels of poisoned compounds in rats in liver and blood samples collected from 41 animals in Table Mountain National Park. Tests showed that 92% of park caracals had been exposed to anticoagulants. The caracals look like mountain lions and are sometimes called African lynxes. In total, scientists found that 81% of the animals tested had been exposed to rat poisons.
According to the new study, animals in Table Mountain National Park do not consume rat poison directly. Rat poisons are designed to kill rodents slowly over a period of several days. When rats become sick, they become an easy target for hungry predators. When poisoned rats are consumed, toxic compounds can move up the food chain.
"We detected at least one of the four most toxic toxic compounds for rats, all available in over-the-counter products, in six of the seven species tested," said principal investigator Jacqueline Bishop in a statement. press.
The researchers found that rat poison concentrations were highest in caracals living near vines.
"Cape Vineyards do not use rat poisons to protect their vineyards, but they host restaurants, spas and hotels and are adjacent to dense residential areas where rat poisons are widely used. regularly hunt in vineyards and are likely to be exposed to poisoned rats, in and around urban structures, "Bishop said.
Bishop and his colleagues focused their tests on the caracals, but also tested several other species that they found struck by cars. Positive tests in otters suggest that toxins are found in local streams.
This is not the first time that scientists have documented the movement of poisoned rats throughout the food chain. In California, researchers have measured poison toxins in rats in wildlife specimens living near areas where illegal marijuana growing is a growing problem. Marijuana growers use rat poisons to protect their crops.
"There is growing evidence worldwide that rat poisons are a critical threat to wildlife, including threatened and endangered species," said researcher Nikola Okes. "To fully understand this problem at the local level, the public, South African National Parks and Cape Town have been encouraged to report the location of animals hit by cars so that they can be included in our study. "
The caracals, the main object of study, are threatened by habitat loss and poaching. The researchers hope their work, published this week in Science of the Total Environment, will inspire the use of greener rodent control methods.
"As consumers, we need more eco-friendly alternatives to rat poison and the simplest solution is within everyone's reach: improve waste management that attracts rats in the first place," said M Okes.
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