Tag: Past campaigns – wildlife

Categories
News/Blog

B.C. government asking for feedback on rodent poisons

The B.C. government is seeking public feedback on proposed changes to the province’s rodenticide regulations. Similar to the current temporary, partial ban on second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs), the permanent changes being proposed fail to address a number of glaring gaps that will leave wildlife and pets at risk of rodenticide poisoning.

Birds of prey and scavengers that eat poisoned rodents continue to turn up dead; domestic cats and dogs are still being brought to veterinary clinics with serious symptoms of rodenticide poisoning, even losing their lives.

From now until June 19, 2022, animal lovers have a unique opportunity to speak up for wildlife and pets before B.C. moves forward with inadequate legislation.

Speak up for B.C. wildlife

Tell the provincial government that wildlife need stronger protections against inhumane and indiscriminate poisons. Click the link below to go to the B.C. government’s online consultation page.

Submit your comments (opens in a new tab)
Overview of key points
Help with online consultation

Key points to consider during the public consultation period:

  • Many dangerous poisons would still be allowed under the new regulations, including first-generation anticoagulant rodenticides and neurotoxins.
  • Exemptions to the ban are too broad; second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides would still be used in many locations, including those with frequent wildlife activity.
  • Compliance with and enforcement of the partial ban have been inconsistent; there is inadequate evidence that the government has capacity to enforce proposed restrictions or Integrated Pest Management requirements.
  • Rodenticides are not a long-term solution, as they can harm and kill natural predators of rodents and cause ecosystem imbalance. Many more effective alternatives and prevention strategies exist.

Key recommendations

  • A comprehensive ban of all rodenticides is needed.
  • At the very least, the list of exempt locations should be reduced and the proposed changes should apply to all rodenticides.
Submit your comments (opens in a new tab)

Tips for filling out the public consultation survey

British Columbia residents can complete the online consultation by going to the B.C. government’s consultation page and clicking the button to “Submit comments online”.

If you are unable to complete the online consultation, you can email your feedback to IPMProgram@gov.bc.ca.

Continue scrolling for more in-depth points broken down by section. Please be sure to submit constructive comments in your own words.

Section 1: Demographics

Complete the section with your information.

Section 2: Discussion Questions (Optional – tap to expand)

Note: If you are unable to complete this section, you may still enter your key concerns under Section 3: General Comments. Please use the suggested points below as a guide rather than copy and pasting, as unique submissions are important.

QuestionSuggested points (in your own words)
1. The ministry is proposing to restrict the use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) to Essential Services … What is your feedback on the proposed Essential Services list?The list is too broad and will result in continued widespread use of SGARs.
It should be further reduced and essential services should be assessed to evaluate and prioritize prevention and alternatives to rodenticides.
For example, both rodent conflict and other wildlife activity may be present because of attractants, such as at garbage dumps or recycling facilities. This increases the probability of poisoning of non-target wildlife.
2. What is your feedback on implementing an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program, focused on prevention and alternative control tools to rodenticides, when managing rodents?IPM has always been required, but has not been consistently followed or enforced.
Express your concerns about how prevention and alternatives will be enforced.
3. What is your feedback on the proposed requirement for a site-specific IPM plan where SGARs are used?Enforcement appears reactionary (site-specific plans would be provided to ministry inspectors upon request) rather than proactive (require all plans be submitted and reviewed).
4. The ministry is proposing to only allow short-term baiting if using SGARs within an IPM program. … How might the use of SGARs only for short-term baiting within an IPM program affect Essential Service operations?It appears that compliance would be based on good faith by service owners and operators.
Express your concerns about how compliance with 35-day limit and 120 total days per year time limit will be tracked and enforced.
Questions 5-11Respond as desired or proceed to Section 3.

Section 3: General Comments

12. Do you have any other feedback on the proposed changes outlined in the Intentions Paper?

Respond with your main concerns and key points. Below are some additional details to consider. Please feel free to use the points below as a guide, but be sure to submit comments in your own words rather than copying and pasting.

  • There are many negative impacts of rodenticides, such as secondary poisoning of non-target species—which poses a danger to domestic pets and wildlife, including birds of prey.
  • The proposed changes don’t impact the use of other dangerous and inhumane rodenticides, such as first-generation anticoagulants (FGARs) and non-anticoagulants. For instance, veterinarians have raised concerns about bromethalin, a neurotoxin with no specific antidote, yet its use as a rodenticide is still permitted.
  • Exemptions for essential services are too broad and would mean SGARs will continue to be used in many circumstances and contribute to significant wildlife poisoning and deaths.
  • There are concerns about the government’s ability to enforce a permanent partial ban on SGARs. Evidence of suspected SGAR use in prohibited locations was routinely found during the temporary ban and follow-up on reported complaints was inconsistent and slow, suggesting that there aren’t enough resources allocated to effectively enforce a partial ban.
  • The same concerns exist with regard to capacity to enforce enhanced Integrated Pest Management (IPM) requirements—how will the government ensure compliance in terms of no preventative SGAR baiting; ensuring prevention and alternative measures are first exhausted; and limits on baiting time periods? IPM is already required in the current regulations and has not been effectively enforced, leading to regular overuse and misuse of all rodenticide products.
  • There are many prevention methods and alternatives.
  • Prevention is the only long-term solution to rodent conflict. For instance, removing attractants (garbage, compost, food sources like bird seed and fallen fruit, leaky plumbing); rodent-proofing buildings and fixing structural flaws and access points; habitat modification (cutting back bushes and grasses from around building, storing items away from buildings and off the ground).
  • Alternatives exist for lethal control, if needed, including high-quality snap traps; captive bolt traps and other mechanical systems (e.g. Goodnature device); rodent contraceptives (e.g. Contrapest); supporting presence of natural rodent predators, such as owls, through building owl boxes. A family of owls can eat more than 1,000 rodents per year!
  • Recommendation: For all of the above listed reasons, a complete ban on all rodenticides is strongly recommended, including FGARs and non-anticoagulants. As currently proposed, the regulations would result in a complicated patchwork of rules for different audiences and different rodenticide products, which is practically impossible to enforce.
  • At the very least, the proposed essential services list should be further reduced and, crucially, all of the proposed changes being proposed should be applicable to all rodenticides, rather than just SGARs. This would streamline the regulations across audiences and rodenticide products, creating more consistency in the regulations and enforcement.

Note: clicking the button below will open the link in a new tab. You can still return to this tab to review the key points.

Submit your comments (opens in a new tab)
Categories
News/Blog

Have your say on proposed hunting & trapping regulations in B.C.

A black-tailed deer and fawn in the forest

The B.C. government is seeking public feedback on a long list of suggested changes to hunting and trapping regulations. Now is your chance to see proposed changes in your area and across B.C. and speak up for wildlife. Their website is open for comments until January 23, 2022 at midnight.

Potential changes include:

  • A ban on the use of trail cameras for hunting
  • A ban on feeding or baiting ungulates such as deer near human dwellings to prevent human-wildlife conflict
  • Expansions and additions of no hunting and no shooting areas

How to register & comment

To participate through the government’s engagement website, you’ll need a Basic BCeID account.

  1. If you don’t have a BCeID account, register for a “Basic BCeID” account online. If you have a BCeID account and have not logged in for a while, you may need to reset your password.
  2. Go to the “Hunting” page and click “Login”.
  3. If you are prompted to complete your registration, fill out the required fields and submit the form.
  4. Once you’ve logged in, it will return you to the main “Hunting” page.
  5. You can now scroll through the proposed regulations and click or tap each regulation title to comment.

Note: You must be logged in and select one of the three cells (“Support”, “Neutral”, “Oppose”) under “Level of Support” to comment.

Submit your comments (must be logged in)

Some regulation changes to consider commenting on:

TitleProposed “Level of Support”
Wireless Trail CamerasSupport
Black Bear No Hunting Area Within the Primary Range of Kermode BearsSupport
Squamish River Valley No Shooting AreaSupport
Prohibit Feeding of Ungulates Within 200m of a Dwelling HouseSupport
No Hunting Zone – Highway 3 – Loop Bridge to Alexander BridgeSupport
Compulsory Inspection for Black BearSupport
Woodhus Slough No Hunting AreaSupport
Close Pink Mountain Caribou General Open Season (Bow Only) and Limited Entry Hunting OpportunitiesSupport
Minimum Distance Between Exposed Bait and TrapsSupport
Compulsory Inspection for Bobcat and Lynx in the OkanaganSupport
Mayne Island – HuntingNeutral
*3 options are suggested. Be sure to comment and indicate your preferred solution.
Rescind Downie Creek Motor Vehicle for Hunting Closed Area RegulationOppose

Trouble logging in?

If you have difficulty obtaining a BCeID, please make your concerns known to the Honourable Katrine Conroy directly at FLNR.Minister@gov.bc.ca.

A community-led initiative is available to support residents in participating in this feedback process. For further information, please email friendsofpublicsafety@gmail.com.

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback on policies that impact wildlife.

Categories
News/Blog

Take action: Identify & report the use of banned rodenticides

A black plastic rat trap. Pest control concept image.

Effective July 2021, the B.C. government enacted a temporary, partial ban on second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs). These poisons have been used widely in rodent control and they cause significant suffering for wildlife and pets.

You can help protect animals from these banned poisons by being on the look out for them in your community and reporting them to provincial authorities and to VHS, so we can keep track of the presence of banned poisons throughout communities.

Learn more below about how to identify and report banned rodenticides. Visit this page to call for further action from the provincial government.

How to report banned rodent poisons in B.C.

Effective July 2021, the B.C. government enacted a temporary, partial ban on second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs). These poisons have been used widely in rodent control and they cause significant suffering for wildlife and pets. Despite the ban, bait boxes with labels indicating SGARs continue to be found in banned locations-and animals continue to suffer.

Table Of Contents
  1. Which rodenticides are banned?
  2. Tips for documenting banned rodenticides
  3. How you can report banned rodenticides

Which rodenticides are banned?

The ban applies to the following second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs):

  • Brodifacoum
  • Bromadiolone
  • Difethialone

Under the ban, these poisons are now prohibited in or around most residential buildings, offices, parks, schools, and non-food retail shops.

There are exemptions that allow for SGARs to continue being used in certain locations that are deemed to be “essential services”. For a complete list of exemptions, visit the B.C. government’s website.

Tips for documenting banned rodenticides

Be on the lookout for bait boxes, often found around the outside perimeter of buildings, as well as inside of buildings. If the bait box contains a rodenticide, a label identifying the active ingredient or its registration number, along with the contact information for the pest control company, should be on the outside of the container lid.

Note: The presence of a bait box does not necessarily mean SGAR poisons are being used, as bait boxes may contain snap traps or other products.

If the active ingredient noted on the label is brodifacoum, bromadiolone, or difethialone and the bait box is not in a location that is exempt from the ban, please document the following in order to file a report: (Note – Do not tamper with bait boxes.)

  • Photos of the outside of the bait box;
  • Photos of the label on the bait box;
  • Photos of the surrounding location;
  • Note the date, time and address.

How you can report banned rodenticides

Report the suspected banned poison to the B.C. government via the “Report All Poachers and Polluters” (RAPP) hotline at 1-877-952-7277 (RAPP) or #7277, or through the online reporting form.

Categories
News/Blog

Support a full ban on rodenticides in B.C.

Update

4,759 individuals signed onto the VHS’s letter to the Ministry of Environment. Thanks to the strong public call for change, the B.C. government announced permanent restrictions on some of the deadliest rodent poisons. Despite this important step in the right direction for wildlife, more work is needed to protect animals. Learn how you can support going beyond the partial ban.

Rodenticides are highly toxic poisons that cause a slow and painful death for the rodents that consume them and can severely injure or kill any scavengers, predators or pets who encounter the poisoned rodents. In fact, B.C.-based Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (OWL) noted that a few years ago a blood test study found that more than half of the animals in their care had poison residue in their system.

Effective July 21, 2021, the B.C. government enacted an 18-month partial ban on second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs), citing the serious risk they pose to the public, pets and wildlife. This means SGARs cannot be used in or around most residential buildings, offices, parks, schools, or non-food retail shops. Unfortunately, gaps in the ban and an apparent lack of enforcement continue to leave wildlife at risk.

VHS welcomes this 18-month SGAR ban as a first step and is calling on the B.C. government to take further action to address rodenticide use across the province.

Add your signature in support of VHS’s letter to the Ministry of Environment

Add your signature below in support of VHS’s request that the B.C. Ministry of Environment take additional action to ban rodenticides. VHS has delivered a letter outlining our recommendations and we will keep Ministry decision-makers updated on the total number of public signatures in support of the campaign.

*The petition form will only accept Canadian postal codes. If you reside outside of Canada, you can send a message directly to B.C.’s Environment Minister, George Heyman, at ENV.minister@gov.bc.ca

This action has now ended

4,759 people used this tool to sign their support for a rodenticide ban. Thank you for taking action!

See more campaigns
Table Of Contents
  1. Learn more about the temporary partial ban
  2. Spread the word about the current ban
  3. Identify and report the use of banned rodenticides
  4. Report dead wild birds
  5. Find humane alternatives

Learn more about the temporary partial ban

Details of SGAR ban

The SGAR ban is specific to poisonous baits containing brodifacoum, bromadiolone or difethialone. Use of SGARs is now prohibited, but with a long list of exemptions for what the government has deemed to be essential services, as well as agricultural operators.

Essential services are categorized as public health and safety; critical infrastructure; food supply; transportation; sanitation; communications and information technology; and mortuary services. For specific business types that qualify as exempt from the ban, visit the B.C. government website.

Given the list of exemptions, including in locations where there is a lot of active wildlife such as at a garbage dump or recycling facility, it remains to be seen how effective this ban will be at significantly reducing the widespread use of SGARs and their negative impacts.

While the use of SGARs for non-essential services is prohibited, the ban does not prohibit other dangerous rodenticides from being used. This includes first-generation anticoagulants (FGARs), such as chlorophacinone, diphacinone, and warfarin, and neurotoxins, such as bromethalin. These rodenticides pose a similar threat to the public, pets and wildlife.

What’s next?

VHS is advocating for the B.C. government to ban all rodenticides and to reassess and shorten the list of exempt users. VHS recommends that the remainder of the 18-month temporary SGAR ban be used to plan the phase out of rodenticides, in favour of humane alternatives for lethal management and preventative measures that address the underlying causes of conflict with rodents. VHS encourages the B.C. government to prioritize and invest in research around new and emerging humane alternatives and set goals and targets for shifting away from rodenticide use overall.

It’s also crucial that the government proactively enforce the current SGAR ban to ensure prohibited rodenticides are removed in a timely manner from locations where they are no longer permitted. The government must also take steps to educate the public about these restrictions and how to identify what is in bait boxes. 

VHS submitted a letter to provincial decision-makers, outlining recommendations for a comprehensive rodenticide ban.

Read the letter

More actions you can take

Spread the word about the current ban

Help raise awareness within the community about the current SGAR poisons ban!

Share this link to the B.C. government’s website, outlining the details of the ban. Send it to your strata or building manager, the principal and other school administrators at your school, the building manager at your office, and anyone else who should be made aware of the ban.

Support citizen science projects related to rodenticides:

Identify and report the use of banned rodenticides

Take action to report banned rodenticides being used in your community.

Report dead wild birds

  • Report wild bird deaths to the B.C. government’s wild bird mortality hotline at 1-866-431-BIRD (2473). Click here for more information.
  • Support citizen science being done to track wild bird deaths by contacting Deanna Pfeifer at dgpfeifer@shaw.ca. Please take photos or videos of the deceased bird and note the date and location. Follow the steps outlined here to safely handle and store the bird.

Find humane alternatives

There are many humane and sustainable alternatives for managing conflicts with rodents which do not cause prolonged suffering or harm natural predators of rodents.

For the most effective solution, focus on prevention. Addressing attractants, such as open garbage, compost bins, fallen fruit or bird seed, and fixing structural flaws and access points in buildings that provide sources of food and shelter for rodents is central to solving human-rodent conflicts.

Meanwhile, a variety of poison-free alternatives and new and innovative technologies are being tested and piloted in communities, including rodent contraceptives. If lethal management is still needed, high-quality snap traps and captive bolt traps that are appropriately sized for the type of rodent can cause a quick death.

Learn more about humane rodent management.