Hi all,
Sorry to start with sad news. Above is a photo from a 2023 article in the Sydney Morning Herald - 'Clockwise from top left: a Boobook, a Barn owl, a Powerful owl and a Tawny frogmouth. All are believed to have been poisoned by rat bait'.
On a brighter note, I've noticed an uptick in signatures and promotions for the petition. THANK YOU SO MUCH :) It gives me hope to see how many people care.
So... I did some digging, and had a look at the SGAR reconsideration submissions made to the Australian pesticides regulator (The APVMA) and I found one from who other than.. BUNNINGS of course..They claim the unregulated and unrestricted use of SGAR poisons is fine, and they want it to continue at ANY COST.
No wonder they won't budge on restricting the poisons. They're asking the regulator to keep them on the shelves! Here is what Bunnings said:
"AR’s, when used according to manufacturer’s recommendations offer little risk to human health and very little risk to non-target species. Rodenticides, including ARs have been utilised for many years to assist with rodent control in home gardens and public health situations. Bunnings sees no reason for this to change."
LIES.
A report published in 2018 found SGAR poisons were detected in 72% of Southern BooBook Owls in WA and 74% percent of Wedge-tailed Eagles that were reported to have been killed by secondary poisoning. These are THREATENED SPECIES.
And here's a quote from the Sydney Morning Herald Article -
"In 2022, a team of scientists at Deakin University, including Cooke and White, dissected 160 possums and sent samples to the National Measurement Institute to see what was killing the animals the powerful owls predated upon.
They found rat poison in 91 per cent of brushtail possums tested and 40 per cent of ringtail possums tested.
SGAR poisons are so toxic that they survive even after an animal is killed and can kill birds or animals that eat the dead rodent or possum. The poison can also be in live possums eaten by owls."
- There is a MOUNTAIN of research that states these poisons are causing havoc on wildlife. All you have to do is do a quick Internet search to see. We know Bunnings is putting profits over our wildlife. They are called SECONDARY poisons for a reason.
- Keep circulating this, keep educating people, and I'll be back with another update soon :)
Meg