Rat or mouse bait is an extremely inhumane form of pest control which can be fatal not only to rodents but to family pets and children too. It attracts animals through scent and once eaten can cause internal bleeding and later death. This is what happened to my pet cat Oreo. He was a perfectly happy and healthy cat found dead after having consumed rat bait outside our home. 

Currently rat bait can be purchased and distributed very easily and is permitted by the government. Anyone can buy it for less than £10 on amazon and have it delivered the next day. Rat bait/poison can also be referred to as rodenticides and can include substances such as brodifacoum, Bromethalin, warfarin or super-warfarin. Brodifacoum is typically used as a rodenticide, but is also used to control larger pests such as possum. Bromethalin is a neurotoxic rodenticide that damages the central nervous system. Warfarin disrupts the animal's blood clotting mechanism, and the rats die from internal bleeding a few days after eating poisoned bait. 

These are just some examples of the  extremely dangerous chemicals that can currently be bought online and freely distributed in your local area. 

At the moment the government states to control pests yourself you can:

-only trap or kill permitted animals

-use permitted methods to kill animals

-only use poison to kill the pests it’s intended for - this will be written on the packaging

-only use traps that have been approved for use with the species you want to control - you must follow the instructions for use

You cannot use the following control methods for any wildlife:

self-locking snares

bows and crossbows

explosives (other than legal ammunition for a licensed firearm)

live birds or animals, known as ‘live decoys’, to attract pests (unless you have a licence)

This petition moves to add inhumane rat/mouse bait/poison to the list of methods you CANNOT USE. 

Rat poison/bait is extremely dangerous and causes devastation to pet owners who are unaware that it is being used in their local area. 

Please sign this petition in order to stop more pets and wildlife from dying needlessly in an inhumane way.