Why the Use of Rat Poisons Must Be Stopped

Rats are one of the worst pests that can infest any kind of property. The critters infest residential, commercial, and industrial property and can cause significant damage, even in a short while. Humans have waged a serious war against rats for years. Poisons are one of the tools humans have applied in keeping rats at bay. 

In this article, we cover why poisons are not the way forward in getting rid of rats. Read on and visit Rat Poison Facts to learn more about why the use of rat poisons must be stopped. 

How Rat Poisons Are Developed

The history of rat poisoning dates back to when people kept venomous snakes to kill rats. Humans also applied strychnine in their war against rats. This poisonous material was obtained from the strychnine tree and applied to kill rats and other pests. The poison worked so efficiently that it killed rats and other critters within a few hours. 

After strychnine was applied for killing rats and other pests, specific poisons were developed for killing rats. These poisons were made from anticoagulants. The first anticoagulant rat poisons were developed after World War II. First-generation anticoagulants were developed and followed by second-generation poisons. 

Today, anticoagulants are still applied as rat poisons and have been developed to kill the critters in shorter times. 

The anticoagulants that are applied in killing rats initiate internal bleeding to cause the death of the critters. The poisons stop the natural process of blood clotting and cause the rats to die from uncontrolled bleeding. 

Apart from the anticoagulants, there are rat poison options that distort other essential physiological processes to cause death. 

Why Rat Poisons Are Not The Way Forward

While they may seem like the way forward for humans to win the war against rats, this is not the case, because of the numerous downsides associated with rat poisons.

Firstly, rats suffer before they die. Even the most developed poisons will not kill the critters immediately. It is also noteworthy that the critters are wary of consuming new food items. They will nibble at a new food option to test its safety instead of consuming large quantities. 

Since the poisons need to build up to the required concentration to cause the detrimental effects and rats are bound to consume the poisons in small quantities, the critters are typically subjected to a lot of torture. The anticoagulant or any other active ingredient will continue to cause detrimental effects until the critter dies. 

Thus, rats are subjected to a lot of unnecessary pain before they die. This inhumane treatment is thus a major reason why the use of rat poison is frowned upon. 

Also, the rats can die at any point. There is no telling where and when the active ingredients in the poison will eventually kill the rat, and this brings the extra challenge of finding the carcasses. Remember that the carcasses can produce serious odors and make an area uninhabitable. The carcasses can also spread diseases. 

Secondary Poisoning

It is noteworthy that the activity of rat poisons is not restricted to the critters. The poisons will cause similar reactions in all critters that consume them. Thus, the use of rat poisons comes with the threat of secondary poisoning. 

Secondary poisoning to other wildlife is bound to happen when rat poisons are applied. These wildlife critters can be scavengers or other animals that hunt rats. Cats that hunt rats and eat them could be victims of secondary rat poisoning. 

Pets and kids could also be unintentionally affected by rat poisons. They could unknowingly consume the toxic materials and suffer the same fate as the critters. 

The threat of secondary poisoning has caused experts to call for the outright ban of rat poisons. Rat poisons aimed at a few critters could cause a ripple effect that affects different unintended categories of critters. 

With the serious issues associated with the use of rat poisons, it cannot be described as an effective way of handling a rat infestation. It is an inhumane method that should not be encouraged. Other effective measures can be targeted at the removal of the destructive critters. Such methods include lethal trapping and habitat modification measures. With lethal trapping, tools that kill the critters are applied with no pain. The critters do not suffer unnecessarily and there is no threat to other wildlife.

Credits:

Writer, Laurel Tied
Email: [email protected]

Cover Photo: Image by Shutterbug75 from Pixabay