Across Massachusetts, wildlife groups are sounding the alarm. A powerful class of rat poisons known as second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs) is not only killing rodents — it’s killing the animals that eat them. Owls, hawks, falcons, eagles, foxes, coyotes, even family pets have been poisoned after feeding on contaminated prey. In Worcester, a snowy owl and other raptors have been found bleeding internally, a telltale sign of SGAR exposure.

The suffering is horrific. Poisoned rodents wander for days before they die, weak and slow, making them easy prey. Raptors take these rodents to their nests to feed their chicks. Entire families of owls or hawks can be wiped out from a single poisoned rat. Wildlife rehabilitators like Jess Zorge of Raptor Tales Rescue describe watching birds bleed to death with no chance of recovery. “It’s heartbreaking,” she says. “And it’s so easily preventable.”

The danger doesn’t stop with wildlife. A report from the state Department of Public Health found that nearly 200 Massachusetts residents — almost half of them children under six — were poisoned by SGARs between 2021 and 2023. Families who think they are solving a rodent problem may be putting their kids and pets at risk.

Communities across the state are asking lawmakers to act. Cities like Worcester have begun shifting away from SGARs toward safer, more effective alternatives: better waste management, sealing entry points, targeted trapping, and newer approaches like carbon dioxide burrow treatments. Experts agree these methods control rodent populations without unleashing poisons that ripple through the food chain.

Massachusetts has the chance to lead the nation by banning SGARs except in true public health emergencies. Senator Michael Moore has already introduced legislation to make this change. Now, it’s up to state leaders to listen to wildlife advocates, families, and communities demanding action.

We call on Governor Maura Healey, the Massachusetts Legislature, and the Department of Public Health to end the use of SGARs and protect both wildlife and people.