More than I care to, I am compelled to write about a negative topic.  Today’s blog is one of those times.  I warn you in advance.

There are some things we just shouldn’t do; no matter how desperate we get.  One of those relates to the use of sticky traps.  They are many reasons for this, and we have covered them ad nauseam…yet still we get in traps with as many as four different “non-pest” species stuck in an unmerciful situation…trying to chew themselves out or struggle free of a slow death.  Too often the freedom doesn’t come in time.

Enough said on that negative topic.  But there is one more too real situation that occurred this week…

I can imagine it started something like this.  It was night.  The nocturnal critters were about.  A wily old grey fox crouched motionless, blending into the night landscape, as it was designed to do… tracking the rodent with its eyes and nose first, before perfectly timing its pounce.  Success…well maybe not. Because here’s the rest of his story…

Last week we received in our hospital an adult grey fox.  It was older, and appeared healthy, in good weight, yet it was struggling.  We applied all of our usual course of triage and assessment, but before we could even find out what was wrong with it, it died…no second chances there.

The veterinarians examined it and reported that it had bled out internally.  We couldn’t see a thing while internally its cavities were filling up with blood.  Undoubtedly, it had taken the opportunity of finishing off a rat that appeared as a target…but unknown to Mr. Fox, his dinner (Mr. Rat) had been poisoned with a rodenticide.

Rodenticides are non-specific killers. And because of this we strongly discourage their use! Yes, these deadly poisons will do the job on the rat. They will certainly cause the rat’s blood to stop coagulating.  That is what the poison is designed to do. Yet, the rat can still, for a while, walk around and look like a meal. And too often, like with Mr. Rat, there is a second victim, in our case, the grey fox, which will experience the same symptoms.  It will probably start with burning in the eyes and throat.  It may then have seizures and experience weakness in its limbs.  Respiratory paralysis is then followed by vomiting, and at this point, the animal is not only vulnerable but would probably welcome death. Eventually, it gets its wish.

But what a horrible, painful, and cruel way to go!

I understand that vermin can be annoying.  I know they can cause damage and expenses.  I know the population can get out of balance. But by eliminating the natural predators like foxes (and also owls, hawks, snakes, and many other wildlife species), we are sabotaging the balance that nature has designed to alleviate the pest problem.  In this case, the healthy old fox probably had spent a good part of its life dining on those pests…doing its job!  Its death is so incongruent.

Whether or not you care about the death of a rat, or for that matter the secondary death of an innocent fox, owl, or snake, you might feel differently if the next victim was your pet dog or cat…or your neighbor’s.

There are other, better, more humane ways to deal with the problem of rats.  Do some research.  Don’t be part of this problem.  Stop the chain of secondary poisoning.