There are multiple ways to poison rats.
But not all poisons are created equal, and some of the most popular rodenticides can wreak havoc up the food chain, killing the birds and mammals that eat the pests.
a invoice By Rep. Rebecca Kislak, D-Providence, plans to phase out the sale of these hazardous substances, known as anticoagulant rodenticides, in Rhode Island while phasing in alternatives through municipal testing programs.
“It’s basically Coumadin for rats,” Kislak said in a recent phone interview, comparing commonly used rat poisons to brand-name blood thinners prescribed to humans.
Warfarin, the active ingredient in Coumadin, approved for use Before its use in human medicine as a treatment for conditions such as deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, it was used as a rat poison. All anticoagulants prevent blood from clotting, but the stronger anticoagulants used in pest control accomplish their goal by stopping clotting to the point of internal bleeding and, ultimately, death.
New anticoagulants release more toxin per dose than older drugs, eliminating the need for multiple doses. However, this poison does not kill instantly, and the rodent can live for several days after eating a deadly meal and share its toxicity with any creature that might eat it. And there are plenty of creatures that eat rats and mice, from raccoons to birds of prey. baby bobcat.
These toxins would “disproportionately” affect birds of prey such as owls and hawks, which abundantly eat rats and mice, Kislak told his colleagues on the House Municipal Government and Housing Committee when introducing the bill Thursday, Feb. 26.
“That’s not good for our ecosystem,” Kislak said. “It’s not good for getting rid of rats.”
Kislak’s bill would ban first-generation anticoagulants developed before 1970, such as warfarin, chlorophacinone, and diphacinone, and prohibited second-generation anticoagulants include brodifacoum, bromadiolone, dipenacoum, and difethialone.
“This was a vocabulary building bill for me,” Kislak told a House committee.
A rat poison bait box in New York City in 2024. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
The ban will be phased in over three years.
- March 1, 2027: First generation anticoagulant rodenticides are no longer available for sale to Rhode Island consumers in stores or online. Wholesale sales to businesses may be able to continue if the business employs a licensed exterminator.
- January 1, 2028: Consumers can no longer purchase second-generation anticoagulants in-state or through online retailers.
- January 1, 2029: The use of first- and second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides would be prohibited statewide, with limited exceptions when rodenticides need to be used for public health purposes, such as protecting drinking water supplies or eradicating invasive rodents, or when state or local officials need to use rodenticides to control an infestation where other measures are not effective. Certain agricultural and food and beverage production sites may also use rodenticides in selected ways.
The bill also establishes the Integrated Rodent Pest Management Pilot Program Act, which will be overseen by the state Department of Environmental Management (DEM) and is intended to assist local governments in piloting new rodent control programs that do not center around anticoagulation. Participation is completely voluntary, and the pilot program is scheduled to end in October 2029.
After identifying areas to test new rodent control tactics, options that municipalities can pursue include promoting natural enemies or using EPA-approved rodent contraceptives.
The bill would also create an Integrated Pest Management Fund that would allow DEM to seek grants and charitable funds to help local governments pay for additional costs.
At least one municipality submitted supporting testimony: Warwick Public Works Director Eric J. Earls. I wrote In a letter supporting the bill, they said anticoagulants “often fail to address the root causes of rodent infestations, resulting in repeated pesticide applications without long-term population management.”
Birds of Prey Horror Story
Strong public interest in the measure was demonstrated by the 67 testimonies submitted ahead of Thursday’s hearing, most of which expressed support. invoice I passed the exam successfully. It was introduced in the Senate last year, and Kislak also introduced a bill in the House in 2025, but it died in committee.
Sheida Soleimani is a federally and state-licensed wildlife rehabilitator. bird meeting She told lawmakers in Providence and Chepachet about a bald eagle that died in her arms last year. Post-mortem toxicology tests detected large amounts of anticoagulants in the liver.
Soleimani, who is also an associate professor of art at Brandeis University, told lawmakers that her clinic had 134 raptor patients admitted last year. She treats each animal based on the assumption that they have been exposed to a second generation anticoagulant rodenticide. So far this year, the clinic has accepted 27 birds of prey.
Earlier this year, Soleimani said he received a call one afternoon from two Brown University students saying there was an owl on campus. The owl was dazed and unresponsive, and although it is nocturnal during the day, it was near a poisoned rodent feeder. It was the third owl Soleimani said he had found at the location.
“Blood dripped from his mouth onto my examination table and it wouldn’t stop,” Soleimani said. “He had bruises all over his body under his wings and died within a few hours.”
In the case of baby birds, “the baby’s first meal could wipe them out,” Soleimani said, adding that larger birds could be dropped by “even a small object, a branch, a collision, a hard landing” once internal bleeding begins.
The bald eagle received in 2025 by Bird Congress, a wildlife rehabilitation organization based in Providence and Chepache, has since died. Tests confirmed that the cause was poisoning with a second-generation anticoagulant rodenticide. (Photo by Sheida Soleimani/Avian Council)
General Soleimani said of the deadly series of events: “The rat eats the bait. The owl eats the rat. The poison works as intended, but now it’s just in something we didn’t intend to kill. Owls can eat hundreds, sometimes thousands, of rodents a year. They’re not the problem. They’re the solution.”
Soleimani clarified to lawmakers that the birds were not getting into the feeders, but that the rats could become stunned and slip out of the traps.
“They go to the box, they feed, and they walk away. And they get dizzy. You know, when they’re bleeding internally, they’re so uncoordinated that they’re stumbling around, I think.”
Such stumbling rats appear as fast food for birds like owls, but Soleimani said owls usually do not turn down a simple meal.
“When they see something stumble or slow, they’re like, ‘Okay, cool, easy food. Let’s go. They’re going to kill it.’
Dave Caldwell, president of the Rhode Island Audubon Society and former candidate for Providence City Council, described himself as an “owl, hawk, and eagle” enthusiast. He said he has had some success at his East Side home, including sterilizing rats and improving trash management.
“I have nothing against rats per se, but they’re causing a bit of a problem here,” Caldwell said.
Caldwell recalled that when he was young, there weren’t many raptors in the Ocean State, and he attributed that to DDT. DDT was a widespread poison before it was banned in 1972, and “it was very effective, but it was also very effective at killing a lot of things.”
“So while rodenticides are great for what they do, they’re also doing other things that are less desirable here,” Caldwell said.
“An important tool”
Rat populations have soared during the pandemic, in part because outdoor dining has created ideal conditions for street eating and breeding. The situation in New York City became so bad that the Big Apple briefly appointed a “rat czar” to control the rapidly proliferating pest in 2023.
This protracted battle against burgeoning rodent populations continues, entomologist Nathan Jewett warned the committee Thursday. That’s one of the reasons he testified on behalf of the New England Pest Management Association.
A large gray owl holds a vole in its mouth. Birds of prey that ingest rodents containing anticoagulant toxins are often at risk of dying from the poison themselves. (Photo by Courtney Celley/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)
“We must be very careful when removing these important tools from our toolbox,” Jewett, who is also director of field operations at Big Blue Bug Solutions in Providence, told the committee. “There’s a reason why mice and rats are rated as the second and third most successful mammals on Earth after humans. They are extremely prolific breeders and are extremely adapted to their environments.”
Owls can eat hundreds or even thousands of rodents per year. They don’t matter. Those are the solutions.
– Sheida Soleimani, Founder and Executive Director of the Bird Council of Providence and Chepache
Jewett urged lawmakers to oppose the bill, but added that he agreed with some of Caldwell’s commentary. Still, Jewett said, industry groups are reluctant to see such broad restrictive legislation. A statewide ban on anticoagulants could perhaps be narrowed in scope to exclude licensed pesticide applicators who comply with: integrated pest management (IPM) principles are not satisfied by the Bill’s existing carve-outs, Mr Jewett suggested.
Jewett noted that the bill would allow public officials to continue using toxic substances for public health purposes, but added, “I don’t see any language that would require licensing or training.”
“And in the nearly 20 years I’ve been in pest management, some of the most egregious applications I’ve seen come from unauthorized public officials, sometimes at the city level,” Jewett said.
According to entomologists, more desirable is proposed bill New Hampshire will restrict who can buy certain rodenticides. The Granite State bill would allow retailers, including online retailers, to check licenses at the point of sale.
The Kislak bill was held for further consideration Thursday, which is standard practice when a bill is first introduced.
Get your morning headlines.
Subscribe
