Dear Sir

Rat Poison Alert

It has just been brought to my attention that Dept of Environmental Health is going out into the community of Cayman Brac to administer rat poison to residential homes for population control.  This aggressive programme needs to be addressed & halted immediately!  I’m sending this appeal for information or input to stop this as soon as possible.  Please read the article attached so you will understand the gravity of this situation.  Our natural environment is still reeling from the affects of Hurricane Paloma.  Our owl population is barely hanging on by a thread; this will push them to extinction on Cayman Brac & it is NOT the answer to controlling the rat population explosion.  Trust me, if anyone knows how bad the rat problem is, its me!  PLEASE, I beg you, DON’T USE RAT POISON & help tell the DoEH to discontinue this disastrous distribution NOW!

If you are an “away owner” or have a property maintenance taking care of your home & property, please inform them NOT to accept these poisons from DoEH & never use rat poison.  Please check out alternate methods of eradication.

I would appreciate any assistance in spreading the word about this problem.

Rats are a worldwide problem, living among humans, destroying crops, harboring disease and crowding out other species. Effective control of rat populations is evasive. Many turn to poison as a way to control rats. However, poison can have a detrimental effect on natural predators, such as the owl, as well. Does this Spark an idea?

What Is the Danger to Owls From Rat Poison?

By Sandra Parker, eHow Contributor

Rats are a worldwide problem, living among humans, destroying crops, harboring disease and crowding out other species. Effective control of rat populations is evasive. Many turn to poison as a way to control rats. However, poison can have a detrimental effect on natural predators, such as the owl, as well.

Accidental Poisoning

The main concern with using rat poisons to control rat populations is the accidental poisoning of owls. Owls are a natural predator of rats and will become poisoned when preying on poisoned rats.

Warfarin and Other Poisons

Warfarin rat poison works by thinning the blood to the point that it can no longer be contained within the blood vessels of the animals, which then bleed to death. New generations of rat poisons, such as Brodifacoum and Flocoumafen, are much more toxic to owls than before.

How Poisoning Occurs

When the owl consumes a poisoned rat, the toxin enters the bloodstream of the bird through digestion, poisoning the bird.

Rehoming

Poisoning rats can also eradicate an entire rat population, forcing owls to re-establish hunting grounds where prey is more plentiful. This causes unnecessary competition and a reduction in the number of owls that can be sustained in any one area.

Rebound Population Growth

Allowing owls to die out in a particular area can also result in a rebound of rats and mice as well as other small mammalian pests, as there is no longer a natural control in place to keep the populations in check.