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| Photo credit Alex Deutsch |
While it's not unusual to find starving juveniles this time of year - young hawks trying to survive their first winter, wildlife rehabilitators are seeing ailing adults, as well.
Could they be suffering from exposure to second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) from feeding on poisoned mice and rats?
The Wildlife Center of Silicon Valley in San Jose takes a proactive approach to answer this question, sampling the blood of predatory birds they suspect for SGAR exposure.
Their hunch paid off recently when test results for the red-tailed hawk rescued by WES on January 28th came back positive for exposure to an anticoagulant agent.
Data is extremely limited as to how many predatory birds are exposed to SGARs - to what degree, and exactly which poisons are being found, because wildlife hospitals cannot afford to run numerous blood tests.
Currently, the cost for a Coagulation Panel on a live bird is $45.00. A more comprehensive post-mortem Rodenticide Screening, which can pinpoint the exact poison, runs $110.00.We believe all raptors suspected of rodenticide poisoning should be tested. Please, please help us raise enough money to pay for at least 10 Coagulation Panels and 10 Rodenticide Screenings.
If you want to pay with a credit card or check, email WES.
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1 comment:
The Santa Clara County Water District put out rodent poison last summer 2012 all along the water canal along the Santa Theresa Foothills to kill off the ground squirrel population. They succeeded..not a squirrel in sight on the trail, but I'm sure it poisoned the hawks and coyotes. Call them up with your results. I still see the green posion traps along the trail.
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