PALM CITY, Fla. — There's an increasing threat to wildlife on the Treasure Coast that one animal rescue agency said is leading to a surge in animals being poisoned.
The culprit may even be in your own home.
We're talking about rat poison, and the Treasure Coast Wildlife Center told WPTV it has seen double the amount of poisoned protected birds this year compared to last.
"It's been more frequent," Karina Germinario, a licensed rehabber with the Treasure Coast Wildlife Center, said.
Germinario said since December, the nonprofit has received about 15 to 20 birds, including red-shouldered hawks, blue herons and even a vulture that were likely poisoned.
One of those also had a pellet in its stomach, which Germinario released back into the wild Friday after three weeks of rehabilitation.
“He was poisoned," Germanario said.
"Most likely from rat poisoning," added executive director Susie Nash.
Within the last week alone the animal rescue received four red-shouldered hawks, all of which had been poisoned, one of which didn't survive.
Martin County resident Adrienne Justi brought in one of the poisoned hawks, which she found in her backyard with its eyes closed over.
“I was upset, I kind of knew what was happening," Justi said. "She was in the grass, she had her head tucked underneath her and her wings were just kind of flailing around. I actually cried, you know? I was actually able to scoop her up like a baby."
Justi posted the photos on Facebook, hoping to spread awareness of the problem after hearing about the uptick in poisonings from the Treasure Coast Wildlife Center.
"It's heartbreaking," Justi said. "She [the hawk] would always either be up on my light post and then in another tree and I would hear her. It was really heartbreaking, I feel like she picked that spot, because she knew I would help her."
Rats are nothing new in South Florida though, so why are we seeing the uptick in poisonings now?
"We have a lot, a big influx of people that maybe aren’t from here and don't know," Justi said.
That was the Treasure Coast Wildlife Center's assumption too— that the growing population brings more people that may not know how to safely keep pests away, without harming southeast Florida's wildlife.
"More people are moving down from the north and they’re not used to having the rats or the mice," Germinario said, "and they throw anything out there, and then the birds eat those animals."
So what's the solution? For one, the center urged folks to use alternative methods to keep pests away aside from rat poison.
According to Positive Pest Management, there are multiple non-poisonous ways to eliminate rats, including:
- Setting up traps
- Using natural repellents such as peppermint oil
- Removing rat resources by properly storing food and using proper sanitation
- Making your house rat-proof with caulking and other sealants
- Relying on natural predators, like the red-shouldered hawk itself
"Any of your owls will go after all the rodents," Nash said.
Those who come across an injured hawk in the wild are encouraged to call Animal Control or safely wrap it in a towel and bring it to the Treasure Coast Wildlife Center located at 8626 SW Citrus Blvd in Palm City, Florida or call the rehabilitation rescue at (772) 286-6200.